Mr Sunil H Talati, SEPC, Chairman, Ministry of Commerce and Industry says, “The Union Budget as presented by Hon’ble Finance Minister is growth-oriented, forward-looking, focussing on infrastructure and CAPEX. The budget will serve the poor farmers and create new job opportunities. Focus on roads, railways, airports, Mass transport, waterways, and logistics infrastructure will drive the PM Gati Shakti program and propel inclusive development. Post pandemic conditions of the Hospitality services in the small & medium segments are yet to bounce back, therefore, an extension of the ECGL service in March 2023 with an increased cover of Rs 50,000 shall act as a booster for them. In the Education sector, a new scheme ‘One Class One TV Channel’ to provide supplementary education in regional languages for classes 1-12 is a very pragmatic step forward. One of the best efforts we believe the government has made this financial year is towards the mental health of the citizens, which we feel stands the utmost importance today. A National Tele Mental Health Program will be launched to benefit everyone across the nation. Digital Ecosystem for skilling and Livelihood (DESH-Stack e-portal) can be a catalyst for changing the landscape of learning and entrepreneurship. Setting up of Digital University is a great step towards e-learning initiatives. Proposal to open up world-class foreign universities, institutions and set up an International Arbitration Centre in the GIFT City points towards a forward-looking approach on education and legal sector. The focus on the AVGC sector by proposing a Taskforce will go a long way in cashing in on the emerging global opportunities in this sector. Reforms in SEZ will also provide the necessary impetus to various sectors like IT/ITes. Opening up defense R&D for industry, startups, and academia with 25% of the defense R&D budget is a very welcome move towards inclusive development.”
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Mr Amit Sharma, Founder and CEO of eExpedise Healthcare says, “The projected economic growth of the country in this financial year is expected to be 9.2%. Finance Minister, Nirmal Sitarama has focussed largely on the health industry by announcing various growth projecting budget allocations across various segments. Strength-building implementations of vaccination programs have stood as an evident validation for the stability of the Health infrastructure in the past year. As expected, an open platform for the national digital health ecosystem is suggested to roll out that shall consist of digital registries of health providers. They constantly highlighted pandemic-induced mental health problems of people of all ages that have aroused the requirement of the best access to quality mental health counseling and care services. Hence, the national tele mental health programs across various channels will work as a slip in between ciaos for the affected lot. As International travel is likely to recover soon, the introduction of innovative initiatives like e-passports is set to boost security and enhance the convenience of international travelers by cutting down long queues at immigration counters. This will help support a faster revival of international travel in a pandemic-driven environment. Holistically, the various measures announced are highly encouraging for all the sectors.”
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Anika Parashar, Founder and CEO at The Woman Company says, “The emphasis on mobile connectivity and broadband, especially in rural India will boost economic development in the country. It will help bring the next set of consumers to the D2C ecosystem. The launch of three new schemes for the integrated development of women and children is a positive step forward to bring women and child health and welfare to the forefront. Recognizing the importance of Nari Shakti as the harbinger of our bright future and for women-led development during the Amrit Kaal, our government has comprehensively revamped the schemes of the Ministry of Women & Child Development.”
