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Finance Minister presented a record 8th consecutive Union Budget on Saturday. The Indian government has set ambitious goals for investing in its people through a series of welfare programs and infrastructural initiatives outlined in Budget 2025. These investments span nutrition, education, healthcare, and urban development, aiming to improve the quality of life for millions of citizens, especially in underserved areas.
One of the key highlights is the Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 programme, which targets the nutritional needs of more than 8 crore children, 1 crore pregnant women, lactating mothers, and 20 lakh adolescent girls, particularly in aspirational districts and the northeast region. To further strengthen this initiative, the government has announced an enhancement in the cost norms for nutritional support, ensuring that the benefits reach those who need it the most.
Special Focus On Education
In the education sector, the government is making significant strides to ensure access to modern learning tools. The launch of 50,000 Atal Tinkering Labs across government schools in the next five years will encourage innovation among students, while Bharat Net will extend broadband connectivity to all government secondary schools and primary health centers in rural areas. Additionally, the Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak Scheme will introduce digital Indian language books for school and higher education, ensuring that language is not a barrier to learning.
To support the increasing demand for higher education, the government is investing in infrastructure upgrades at the five IITs established after 2014. These efforts will facilitate the education of 6,500 more students, part of a broader initiative that has already doubled the total student capacity in IITs from 65,000 to 1.35 lakh over the last decade.
Healthcare Boost
Healthcare also sees a major boost, with the establishment of 10,000 additional seats in medical colleges and hospitals in the coming year. This is part of the government’s broader goal to increase medical education seats by 75,000 in the next five years. The government has also committed to setting up Day Care Cancer Centres in district hospitals, with plans to establish 200 centres by 2025-26, addressing the growing healthcare needs of rural and underserved areas.
On the urban front, the government is enhancing its focus on livelihood and infrastructure development. The PM SVANidhi scheme will be revamped, offering enhanced loans, UPI-linked credit cards with a ₹30,000 limit, and capacity-building support for street vendors. Moreover, a new Urban Challenge Fund worth ₹1 lakh crore will be allocated to implement city redevelopment projects focusing on growth hubs, water and sanitation, and creative city planning. For the year 2025-26, ₹10,000 crore has been earmarked for this fund, underscoring the government’s commitment to sustainable urban development.
These initiatives in Budget 2025 represent a comprehensive approach to building a better future for the people of India, focusing on education, healthcare, urban development, and nutrition, ensuring that no citizen is left behind.
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