Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday presented the interim budget ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. This is Nirmala Sitharaman's sixth budget. The major announcements made in the interim budget are as follows:

Medical coverage for ASHA workers

• ASHA and Anganwadi workers to be covered under Ayushman Bharat
• The medical coverage for them is up to 5 lakh rupees per year
• New housing scheme for middle-class
• Committee to make recommendations for more Medical Colleges
• Vaccination for girls aged 9-14 years to prevent cervical cancer
• Various schemes for mother and child protection will be brought under the comprehensive programme
• Upgradation of Anganwadi Centers will be accelerated
• U-Win platform will be expanded for immunization

More investment in the agriculture sector

• Efforts to add value to agriculture and increase farmers' income will be accelerated. Private and public investment will be further encouraged
• Post-harvest operations including storage, supply chains, primary and secondary processing, marketing and branding will be improved
• Application of Nano DAP on various crops in all agro-climatic zones will be expanded
• Self-reliance will be achieved in the production of mustard, groundnut, sesame, soybean and sunflower seeds
• A comprehensive program for dairy farmers
• Will increase aquaculture productivity to five tonnes per hectare
• 55 lakh job opportunities will be created. Five integrated aquaparks will be established

1 lakh crore fund for youth

• A corpus of Rs 1 lakh crore will be established with 50-year interest-free loans to encourage the private sector to scale up research and innovation in sunrise domains
• Short and long-term loans will be provided from this with concessions to the private sector for research etc
• New project to develop technologies to make the defence sector self-reliant
• Expansion of airports and development of new airports at a rapid pace

More e-vehicles, charging points

• Viability gap funding (VGF) for an initial capacity of 1 GW of offshore wind power.
• Coal gasification and liquefaction of 100 metric tonnes will be set up by 2030.
• Blending of compressed biogas in CNG for transport and PNG for domestic will be made mandatory
• Infrastructure for electric vehicles, including charging points, will be improved
• E-buses will be promoted for public transport
• Eco-friendly alternatives like biodegradable polymers, bio-plastics, bio-pharmaceuticals etc will be promoted.

Interest-free loan for tourism development

• Long-term interest-free loan to states for tourism development
• States will be encouraged to acquire and brand iconic tourist destinations
• Rating will be introduced for tourist centres based on the quality of facilities and services
• Port connectivity and tourism development projects to promote domestic tourism, including in Lakshadweep

Social change
A high-powered committee will be formed to study the challenge due to population growth. Recommendations will be made to address the challenges