Suman Bery, NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman.
| Photo Credit: Akhila Easwaran

India is proving to be a source of solutions in multiple areas, including public service delivery and digitalisation, NITI Aayog Vice-Chairperson Suman Bery said.

Mr. Bery also said that by putting the SDGs at the heart of its G20 presidency, India has acknowledged that these are an almost sacred commitment by the global community to its less advantaged people.

“India is proving to be a source of solutions in multiple areas, be it public service delivery, be it digitalisation, even for multinational corporations, the so-called global capability centres,” Mr. Bery told PTI in an exclusive interview in United Nations.

“Both in their design and I would argue, based on the Indian experience on their implementation, I really see the SDGs as a commitment by governments to their own people. In the 21st century, this is a kind of commitment to a decent life.” Responding to a question on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a developed India by 2047, Mr. Bery underscored that the Indian leader has highlighted how much can be achieved with a single-minded focus in a period of 25 years.

He said that one thing that is clear is that this is ‘Amrit Kaal’ because this is when India will have the peak conditions for its working labour force. “And to do what we can to make the most of that opportunity through skilling, training, better job matching, rising productivity,” he said.

India’s commitment to sustainable development

Mr. Bery was in New York to represent India at the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) that took place at the U.N. headquarters from July 8 to July 17 under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council.

The theme of the forum was ‘Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises: the effective delivery of sustainable, resilient and innovative solutions’.

Mr. Bery delivered India’s National Statement at the forum’s general debate, emphasizing India’s commitment to sustainable development and inclusive growth.

He also held several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the forum, discussing ways to enhance cooperation in sustainable development, strengthening partnerships for economic cooperation, international development initiatives and efforts to address environmental challenges.

He also addressed an HLPF side event organized by the Permanent Mission of India to the UN and NITI Aayog titled ‘Leaving No One Behind: India’s Experience in Accelerating SDGs’ that showcased India’s efforts on SDG localization to ensure delivery at the last mile in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme.

Mr. Bery also addressed a gathering of eminent members of the Indian-American community and diaspora, investors and industry leaders at a special event titled ‘Developed India @ 2047’ organised by the Consulate General of India in New York in collaboration with the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum. At the event, he spoke about India’s growth across various sectors and its impact on the world economy, as well as the India-US partnership.

The HLPF reviewed in-depth Sustainable Goal 1 of ending poverty in all its forms everywhere; Goal 2 of ending hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture.

Goal 13 of taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts; Goal 16 of promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels; and Goal 17 of strengthening the means of implementation and revitalise the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.

New Delhi:
The five-day “Amrit Kaal” session of parliament begins today. The agenda includes discussions on the evolution of India’s parliamentary democracy. Eight bills are listed, including a controversial one on the Chief Election Commissioner pick.

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Illustration: Satheesh Vellinezhi

With the global economy adrift, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman sought to carve out an ark for India in her fifth Union Budget by trying to nudge domestic consumption and reluctant private investments upwards, while also seeking to create a feel-good factor among specific segments of voters as the government gears up for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The FM summed up the BJP-led government’s achievements since 2014 as “leaving no one behind”, taking just 200-odd words to outline the doubling of per capita income to ₹1.97 lakh, the increasing formalisation of the economy and the expansion of targeted benefits. She then used the rest of her Budget speech to soothe sections of society that may have felt a tad left behind over its nine-year-tenure.

To assuage the salaried middle class, deflated by a sustained streak of high inflation, the tax-free limit under the new exemption-less income tax regime was raised to ₹7 lakh from ₹5 lakh. The cap on non-government employees’ leave encashment at the time of retirement was raised to ₹25 lakh from ₹3 lakh.

Help for those left behind

The first Budget of the Amrit Kaal — the 25-year period leading to the centenary of Indian independence in 2047 — aimed to build on existing “inclusive development” efforts that assign overall priority for the underprivileged, the Minister said. She launched new socio-economic development schemes: the PM Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups Development Mission, and the PM Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman to support artisans from weaker sections and Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.

Some measures were also announced to alleviate the lot of micro, small and medium enterprises that have faced successive shocks over the last few years, from demonetisation to the pandemic.

Poll-pleasing focus on jobs

While the Finance Minister addressed various sections’ aspirations through her less-than-90-minutes speech, the broader underlying message was aimed at India’s restive youth and their hopes of securing a job.

References to “job” creation in a Budget speech hit a six-year high, with the Minister flagging it seven times in different contexts, compared to just two mentions in the 2022-23 Budget speech and three references in the year before that.

Giving an impetus to growth and job creation, and creating opportunities, especially for the youth, she said, was a key focus of the government’s economic agenda to achieve its vision for the Amrit Kaal, which will culminate in 2047.

It is perhaps no coincidence that the last time job creation figured high (with six mentions) was when the late Arun Jaitley presented the Budget for 2018-19 — another Budget presented in the year before a general election.

Capex plans depend on States

Polls apart, the Budget’s grand plan to ramp up infrastructure capex to ₹10 lakh crore in the hope that it gives greater traction to a revival in private investments will hinge on the States — which have been offered ₹1.3 lakh crore in the form of 50-year interest-free loans — doing their bit, and Indian industry being bold enough to take risks during a tumultuous, unpredictable period also marked by rising interest rates.

The deposit limit on savings schemes for senior citizens was doubled to ₹30 lakh and a new one-time small savings scheme was also announced for women to invest upto ₹2 lakh with 7.5% returns assured for two years.

An uptick in small savings collections will also help the government fund its fiscal deficit target of 5.9% of GDP in the coming year (from the 6.4% estimated in 2022-23), with net market borrowings pegged at ₹11.8 lakh crore, Ms. Sitharaman said.

While the Economic Survey projected a 6.5% growth for the year ahead, the Budget estimates a nominal GDP growth of 10.5% for its revenue calculations. Finance Secretary T.V. Somanathan explained that this could be derived from any combination of real growth and inflation, and was not a yardstick for hopes about either.

AAP MP Sanjay Singh said the Union Budget for 2023-24, presented by the Finance Minister in Parliament, does not have any provision for the country’s farmers, soldiers and youth. File
| Photo Credit: ANI

The Aam Aadmi Party on February 1 questioned Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s claim about doubling of per capita income since 2014, saying it is ‘Amrit Kaal’ for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, not for the common people of the country.

Highlighting the achievements of the Modi dispensation so far, the Finance Minister in her budget speech said the government’s efforts since 2014 have ensured for all citizens a better quality of living and a life of dignity.

The per capita income has more than doubled to ₹1.97 lakh, she added.

“Neither did the MSP of crops increase nor did the youth get employment. But this is Amrit Kaal for Modi ji. Nirmala ji is saying per capita income has doubled,” AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, who is also the party’s national spokesperson, said in a series of tweets in Hindi, wondering “whose income” doubled.

The AAP leader said the Union Budget for 2023-24, presented by the Finance Minister in Parliament, does not have any provision for the country’s farmers, soldiers and youth.

“No provision for anyone in the budget. Common people are longing for Amrit [nectar] in the Amrit Kaal,” Mr. Singh said.

Latching on to the Finance Minister’s proposal that 50 additional airports will be revived, the AAP MP took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Modi ji will build 50 new airports. Who will get them?” Mr. Singh said in a tweet.

The AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha termed the budget “most lacklustre” and said it is bereft of “any effort or serious application of mind”.

“It sounded like a budget presented by a minority government with its hands tied rather than a government with a brute majority,” he tweeted.

The Modi Government is focused more on “retaining power than wielding it for the common good,” Mr. Chadha alleged.