New Delhi: The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government today announced interim budget and finance minister Piyush Goyal said a mega pension scheme in the 2019-20 interim budget will provide assured pension of Rs 3,000 per month to nearly 10 crore people working in the informal sector.
The government also boosted allocation for the rural employment guarantee programme by Rs 5,000 crore to Rs 60,000 crore. The scheme is seen as a lifeline for small farmers and agricultural labourers in times of rural distress, given that it provides 100 days of unskilled employment.
While presenting the interim budget, finance minister Piyush Goyal said ₹19,000 crore has been allocated for Pradhan Mantra Gram Sadak Yojana, adding that children will now be able to avail bus services to school and back, instead of walking the distance. “MGNREGA allocation has also been raised to ₹60,000 crore for FY19-20.”
The Centre also announced a significant financial outlay for the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme, and ₹1.58 trillion for Indian Railways to expand the railway infrastructure in the country.