#Budget2018: Schemes That Got A Push, And Those That Didn’t

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented the Union budget 2018, his fourth one in Lok Sabha, on Thursday (1 February), with an emphasis on agriculture and healthcare.

This was the last full budget presented by the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government before the general elections next year.

Most schemes have been bolstered under the new budget, but some have been cut. While expansion of highways and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) connections, along with skill development and promotion of digital payments, are among the schemes that have received a major push, budget allocation for others key schemes like Swachh Bharat, metro projects and rural electrification have come down.

Here’s a look at which schemes were bolstered, and which weren’t.

Up

National highways and road safety works

- Up by 16 per cent

- From Rs 60,671 in 2017-18 to Rs 70,544 in 2018-19

LPG connection to poor households, to provide LPG at subsidised rates

- Up by 42 per cent

- From Rs 2,252 crore to Rs 3,200 crore

Jobs and skill development, which aims to train 40 crore Indians in different skills by 2022

- Up by a steep 74 per cent

- From Rs 2,905 crore to Rs 5,071 crore

Urban Rejuvenation Mission (AMRUT) and Smart Cities Mission, which aim at providing basic services like water supply, urban transport, sewerage to households, to improve quality of life

- Up by 35 per cent

- From Rs 8,999 crore to Rs 12,169 crore

Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna, which aims at correcting regional imbalances in the availability of affordable tertiary healthcare services

- Steep jump of 324 per cent

- From Rs 471 crore to Rs 2,000 crore

Promotion of digital payment

- Increased by 23 times

- From Rs 25 crore to Rs 596 crore

Sagarmala scheme for port development

- Up by 25 per cent

- From Rs 480 crore to Rs 600 crore

Programmes for development of Scheduled Tribes and minorities

- Up by 8 per cent and 12 per cent respectively

Mission for Protection and Empowerment for Women, which aims at schemes related to ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women

- Up by 38 per cent

- From Rs 988 crore to Rs 1366 crore

White revolution scheme, aimed at increasing milk and dairy production

- Up by 36 per cent

- From Rs 1,633 crore to Rs 2,220 crore

Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna, a livelihood improvement scheme that aims at providing all-weather road connectivity in rural areas

- Up by 12.4 per cent

- From Rs 16,900 to Rs 19,000 crore; it had been decreased last year

Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), which aims at generating employment opportunities through establishment of micro enterprises in rural and urban areas

- Up by 50 per cent

- From Rs 1,195 crore to Rs 1,801 crore

Down

Swachh Bharat Mission

- Down by 7 per cent

- From Rs 19,248 crore to Rs 17,843 crore

Metro projects and MRTS, a scheme that provides assistance to various metro projects across India

- Down by 16 per cent

- From Rs 18,000 crore to Rs 15,000 crore

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, a programme to ensure ‘housing for all by 2022’

- Marginally dropped by 5 per cent

- From Rs 29,043 crore to Rs 27,505 crore

Border Area Development Programme, which aims to meet special developmental needs of people living in border areas

- Down by 30 per cent

- From Rs 1,100 crore to Rs 771 crore

Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojna, for increasing rural electrification

- Down by 30 per cent

- From Rs 5,400 crore to Rs 3,800 crore

Unchanged

MNREGA or the rural employment guarantee programme, a scheme that guarantees 100 days of wage employment in a year to unemployed rural Indians

- Unchanged at Rs 55,000 crore

Mid Day Meal in schools, a programme that provides free lunches to primary and upper primary students at government schools

- Almost unchanged with marginal increase of 5 per cent

- From Rs 10,000 crore to Rs 10,500 crore