Interim Budget 2024: Women in STEM highest in world; highlights of Nirmala Sitharaman’s speech

NEW DELHI: Interim Budget 2024 was presented by the Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman today. In her budget speech, she highlighted that 43% female enrolment in STEM courses is one of the highest in the world. The total budget outlay for school and higher education for the upcoming financial year 2024-25 is Rs 1,20,627.87 crore, a 6.84% increase compared to last year.

The government is also planning to set up more medical colleges by utilizing existing hospital infrastructure. A committee will be formed to examine issues and make recommendations for establishing medical colleges, the minister said.

Nirmala Sitharaman said upgradation of Anganwadi under Saksham Anganwadi and PM Poshan 2.0 will be expedited to improve nutrition delivery, early childhood care and development. Additionally, health care cover under Ayushman Bharat will be extended to all ASHA workers, all Anganwadi workers and helpers.

In the pre-election budget 2024 speech, the minister said: “Skill India mission, has trained 1.4 crore youth, upskilled and reskilled 54 lakh youth and established 3,000 new ITIs. A large number of 7 IITs, 16 IIITs, 7 IIMs, 15 AIIMS, 390 universities have been set up.”

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“PM Mudra Yojana has sanctioned Rs 43 crore loans aggregating to Rs 22.5 lakh crores for entrepreneurial aspirations of youth. Of this, Rs 30 crore Mudra loans have been given to women entrepreneurs. Female enrolment has gone up in higher education 28% in 10 years. In STEM courses, girls and women constitute 43% enrolment, one of the highest in the world. All these steps are reflected in the increasing participation of women in the workforce,” she added.

In other major highlights of Budget 2024, Sitharaman proposed not to make any changes relating to taxation and retain the same tax rates for direct and indirect taxes including import duties.

Since the BJP-led government came into power, conditions were created for employment and entrepreneurship, the minister said.

Nirmala Sitharaman presented the interim budget 2024 as the current government term is ending soon. The full budget 2024 will be presented in July 2024 after the new government is formed.