• Source:JND
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Budget 2024 Announcements: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday presented the Union Budget 2024 in Parliament. This is an interim budget as it comes just ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Following the elections, a full-fledged budget will be presented once the new cabinet is elected. This is Sitharaman’s sixth straight budget.

Interim Budget 2024: Key Announcements

- While presenting the Interim Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that all Asha and Anganwadi workers will be included in the Ayushmann Bharat initiative.

- Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri-Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), the largest publicly financed health insurance scheme in the world, covers up to Rs 5 lakh in secondary and tertiary care hospitalization per family annually.

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- According to the Finance Minister, two crore more houses would be constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana. 

- Finance Minister Sitharaman also announced that the government will launch a housing scheme for deserving middle-class to buy or build their own houses. 

- She also announced that the central government will set up more medical colleges, utilising existing hospital infrastructure.

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- To provide a major boost to the defence sector, Niramala Sitharaman announced that a new scheme will be launched to strengthen deep tech for the sector.

- The Finance Minister also announced that three major railway corridors, including for cement, will be constructed, and 40,000 normal railway bogies will be converted to Vande Bharat standard.

- In her Interim Budget on Thursday, Sitharaman announced that the government proposes to increase the capital expenditure outlay by 11.1 per cent to Rs 11.11 lakh crore in 2024-25. 

- In the Interim Budget 2024, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also revealed plans for the creation of a Payment Security Mechanism specifically designed for Electric Vehicle (EV) Buses in India. The move can be seen as a major boost for the adoption of EVs across the country, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector.