To Perk Up Economy, 8 New Schemes, Health And Tourism In Focus
- Out of the loan guarantee scheme of Rs 1.1 lakh crore, the health sector will get Rs 50,000 crore to scale up medical infra, specially targeting under-served areas, in light of the health crisis of the century. The interest rate has been capped at 7.95 per cent. Other sectors will receive Rs 60,000 crore at a maximum interest rate of 8.25 per cent annually.
- Ms Sitharaman has announced additional Rs 15,000 crore for public health. This amount will be utilised to prepare for short-term emergencies and improve paediatric care facilities. The finance minister has also promised support to the battered tourism sector in the form of Rs 10 lakh loan to travel agencies and Rs 1 lakh loan to tourist guides. Tourist visas will be provided free to the first 500,000 tourists when the process begins.Â
- Among other measures, Ms Sitharaman announced widening of the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme under which collateral-free loans are given to MSMEs or or Micro Small and Medium Enterprises. A new scheme will give up to Rs 1.25 lakh loan to 25 lakh small borrowers at lower interest rates.
- In an attempt to boost employment, the finance minister announced that the Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana will be extended from June 30, 2021 to March 31, 2022. The scheme incentivizes employers to create new employment through Employee Provident Fund Organisation.
- In a boost to exports, the finance minister has announced an export insurance cover of Rs 88,000 crore for merchandise exports and Rs 33,000 crore to project exports. The money would be channelised through Export Credit Guarantee Corporation and National Export Insurance Account (NEIA) trust respectively.
- Continuing with the centre's efforts to promote manufacturing, Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for large scale electronics manufacturing will be been extended by a year. The scheme, which was suppose to begin in 2020-21 and continue for a period of five years, will now continue till 2025-26.
- And to provide broadband connectivity to 2.5 lakh panchayats across the country, an additional amount of Rs 19,041 crore will be provided for the BharatNet project.
- As the monsoons have arrived in the western and southern parts of the country, the finance minister announced additional amount of Rs 14,775 crore for DAP and NPK-based complex fertilizers.
- The government has announced several measures since the beginning of the covid pandemic, including the first stimulus package called Aatmanirbhar Bharat in May last year. That package had included monetary and fiscal support worth Rs 21 lakh crore, which the government had said was equivalent to 10 per cent of the country's gross domestic product.
- The latest measures unveiled by the Finance Minister assume significance in the backdrop of the RBI's estimate in its monthly bulletin for June 2021 that the second Covid wave may result in a loss of Rs 2 lakh crore during the current financial year as region-specific containment measures and the virus' spread into smaller cities and villages sapped rural demand.
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