Union Budget 2025: Key schemes launched by Nirmala Sitharaman; check details

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced several key schemes during her Budget speech on Saturday.

Here are some key schemes announced:

The programme will cover 100 districts with low productivity, moderate crop intensity, and below-average credit parameters. It aims to enhance agricultural productivity, adopt crop diversification and sustainable agriculture practices, augment post-harvest storage at the panchayat and block level, improve irrigation facilities, and facilitate the availability of long-term and short-term credit. Around 1.7 crore farmers are likely to benefit from the scheme.

The government will launch a 6-year mission for pulses with a special focus on tur, urad, and masoor. It will focus on improving productivity, domestic pulses production, assuring remunerative prices to the farmers, and development of climate-resilient seeds.

FM Sitharaman during the budget announced a Makhana Board to be established in Bihar to improve production, processing, value additions, and marketing of makhana. The Board will provide handholding and training support to makhana farmers and will also work to ensure they receive the benefits of all relevant Government schemes. 

In the budget, the Finance Minister announced the establishment of a National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management in Bihar and the expansion of IIT Patna hostel and other infrastructure.

This will be established as a blended finance facility with contributions from the Government, banks, and private investors. This fund of ₹15,000 crore will aim for expeditious completion of another 1 lakh units.

To enhance the productivity, quality, and competitiveness of India’s footwear and leather sector, a focus product scheme will be implemented. The scheme will support design capacity, component manufacturing, and machinery required for the production of non-leather quality footwear, besides the support for leather footwear and products.

The scheme is expected to facilitate employment for 22 lakh persons, generate a turnover of ₹4 lakh crore, and exports of over ₹1.1 lakh crore.

Building on the National Action Plan for Toys, the government will implement a scheme to make India a global hub for toys. The scheme will focus on the development of clusters, skills, and a manufacturing ecosystem that will create high-quality, unique, innovative, and sustainable toys that will represent the 'Made in India' brand.

A new scheme will be launched for 5 lakh women, Scheduled Castes, and Scheduled Tribes first-time entrepreneurs. This will provide term loans up to ₹2 crore during the next five years. The scheme will incorporate lessons from the successful Stand-Up India scheme.

The Union Budget proposed a plan to set up a National Manufacturing Mission as part of the Centre’s ongoing effort to boost the Make in India initiative.

“Our Government will set up a National Manufacturing Mission covering small, medium, and large industries for furthering ‘Make in India’ by providing policy support, execution roadmaps, governance and monitoring framework for central ministries and states,” Sitharaman said during the budget.

The Union budget proposed that the top 50 tourist destination sites in India will be developed in partnership with states through a challenge mode.