Nine goodies for rural India in Budget 2017

NEW DELHI: Finance Minister Aru Jaitley has focused on rural India in Budget 2017, though he stopped short of offering big sops. Most of the proposals for rural India aim to enhance welfare and development.

Below are the nine steps for rural India proposed in Budget 2017:

1. Aim to bring one crore households out of poverty and to make 50,000 Gram Panchayats poverty-free by 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatama Gandhi.

2. Against a target of 5 lakh farm ponds under MGNREGA, 10 lakh ponds would be completed by March 2017. During 2017-18, another 5 lakh farm ponds will be taken up.

3. MGNREGA allocation to be the highest ever at Rs. 48,000 crore in 2017-18.

4. Government has taken up the task of connecting habitations with more than 100 persons in left-wing-extremism-affected blocks under PMGSY. All such habitations are expected to be covered by 2019 and the allocation for PMGSY, including the state's Share is Rs. 27,000 crore in 2017-18.

5. Allocation for Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana–Gramin increased from Rs. 15,000 crore in 2016-17 to Rs. 23,000 crore in 2017-18 with a target to complete one crore houses by 2019 for the houseless and those living in kutcha houses.

6. Allocation for Prime Minister's Employment Generation Program and Credit Support Schemes has been increased threefold.

7. As part of a sub-mission of the National Rural Drinking Water Programme(NRDWP), it is proposed to provide safe drinking water to over 28,000
arsenic- and fluoride-affected habitations in the next four years.

8. For imparting new skills to people in rural areas, mason training will be provided to five lakh persons by 2022.

9. A programme of “human resource reforms for results” will be launched during 2017-18 for human resources development in Panchayati Raj
Institutions.