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Budget session 2025-President’s Address
Hon’ble President of India Smt. Draupadi Murmu addressed the joint session of Parliament on the opening day of Budget session on 31 January 2025. She said 75 years had passed since the adoption of the Constitution and this occasion will elevate India’s pride as the mother of democracy to new heights. She paid tribute to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and all its drafters. Following is the excerpts of the address:
Achievements in Amrit Kaal
–President Smt. Draupadi Murmu stated that the Government is giving new energy for the development of the country and in the third term of the Government, the speed of the development has also increased by three times. Today, the country is witnessing decisions and policies being applied at unprecedented growth. In these decisions, the poor, women, children and youth are put at top priority.
–Concrete steps have been taken to achieve the goal of providing Housing for All. PMAY has been expanded and an additional 3 crore households will be provided with new houses for which Rs. 5,36,000 crore has been allocated.
–The Government is committed to granting ownership rights of residential land to the rural poor and promoting financial inclusion.
–She highlighted that under the SVAMITVA scheme, 2.25 crore property cards have been issued so far, with around 70 lakh distributed in the last six months alone.
Under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, crores of farmers have received an amount totalling to Rs. 41,000 crore.
–For the upliftment of the tribal communities, Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan has been started for which Rs. 80,000 crore has been allotted
Under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, 6 crore people above the age of 70 years will be given free health insurance and a health cover of Rs. 5 lakh will be provided annually.
–Small entrepreneurs, the limit of MUDRA loans has been increased from Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 20 lakh. The Government has focused on the education and employment opportunities for the youth of the country.
–To give financial help to the students pursuing higher education, the PM Vidyalaxmi Scheme has been started, 1 crore youth will be provided with internship opportunities in the top 500 companies.
–Carrying forward the spirit of Sahakar Se Samriddhi, the Government will establish Tribhuvan Sahakari University.
–Under the fourth phase of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, the Government has allotted Rs. 70,000 crore to connect 25,000 habitations across villages.
–Today as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of Atal Ji, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana is playing a crucial role in carrying forward his vision.
–The Government has also made swift progress on critical issues like the One Nation-One Election and the Waqf Act Amendment.
Welfare of Middle Class
–Initiatives like the construction of 12 crore toilets under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, 10 crore free LPG connections under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, 80 crore people who were provided with food grains, Saubhagya Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission have given the assurance to poor that they can live with dignity.
–Today 25 crore people have escaped from poverty and are moving forward in their lives.
–For the middle class and to ensure their continuous welfare, the Government has decided to constitute the 8th Pay Commission.
A–dditionally, under the Unified Pension Scheme, a 50% assured pension will be given to lakhs of employees of the Central Government.
Women-Led Development
–The Government is committed to fostering women-led development to realise the fullest potential of the country.
–Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam which provides reservation to women in Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas is an important step in this direction.
–She stated that under the National Rural Livelihood Mission, more than 91 lakh Self Help Groups are being empowered, more than 10 crore women of the country have been connected and a total of more than Rs. 9 lakh crore is being disbursed in the form of bank linkage.
–The goal of the Government is to make 3 crore Lakhpati Didis in the country and today, more than 1.15 crore lakhpati didi are living their life with dignity and out of this 50 Lakhpati Didis have been made in the last six months and are contributing to the income of their families as entrepreneurs.
Youth At The Centre of Development
1. She said lakhs of young people were actively participating in nation-building efforts through the MY Bharat Portal. She highlighted that initiatives like Make in India, Atmanirbhar Bharat, Startup India, Stand-Up India, and Digital India had created numerous employment opportunities for the youth. She added that in the past two years, the Government had provided a record 10 lakh permanent Government jobs.
-Education Reforms And Innovation
–The President stated that through the National Education Policy, the Government was establishing a modern education system for students.
–To ensure no one was deprived of education, opportunities for learning in mother tongues were being provided.
–She added that various recruitment exams were being conducted in 13 Indian languages, eliminating language barriers. She further said that to foster innovation among children, over 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs have been established in schools.
India’s Economic Resilience and Self-Reliance
–The President said despite global concerns such as the COVID-19 pandemic, its aftermath, and war-related uncertainties, the Indian economy has demonstrated remarkable stability and resilience, proving its strength.
–She said that the Government had implemented several significant measures to promote Ease of Doing Business.
–With the spirit of ‘One Nation, One Tax’, the GST system had been introduced, which had been benefiting all states across the country.
–Due to policies like Make in India, many major global brands now proudly display the label ‘Made in India’ on their products.
Supporting Small Businesses
–She stated that during this third term, the loan limit under the MUDRA scheme has been increased from Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 20 lakh, benefiting crores of small entrepreneurs. She said that the Government has made credit access easier, thereby democratizing financial services.
–She stated that street vendors who were deprived of banking facilities for years are now connected to banks through PM SVANidhi Yojana.
Advancement of Infrastructure and Connectivity
–The Government is working in mission mode to connect every part of the country with highways and expressways.
–The PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan has accelerated the pace of project completion. She noted that ten years ago, the budget for capital expenditure was around Rs. 2 lakh crore, which has now increased to over Rs. 11 lakh crore in the last budget.
Self-Reliant Agricultural System
–The Government ensured fair crop prices and increased farmers’ income. It was stated that India achieved a record 332 million tons of grain production and remained the largest producer of milk, pulses, and spices.
–She mentioned that MSP had been consistently raised, and spending on crop procurement had tripled.
She concluded by expressing confidence that future generations would witness a developed, empowered, and prosperous India by 2047.