Union Budget 2024: Sitharaman announces financial assistance for flood-affected Sikkim, Assam, Uttarakhand and HP

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday announced financial assistance for Sikkim, Assam, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, the states impacted by floods.

Presenting the Union Budget in Parliament of Friday, she said that Bihar, which frequently suffers from floods, will get some relief as plans to build flood control structures in Nepal will soon progress.

#Budget2024 | Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman says, "PM Gram Sadak Yojana Phase 4 will be launched to provide all-weather roads to 25,000 rural habitats...Bihar has frequently suffered from floods. Plans to build flood control structures in Nepal are yet to progress. Our… pic.twitter.com/fZJwhifJNw

— ANI (@ANI) July 23, 2024

“Our government will provide financial support with an estimated cost of Rs 11,500 crore,” she added.

She said Assam, which also grapples with floods every year, will receive assistance for flood management and related projects.

“Himachal Pradesh, having suffered extensive losses due to floods, will also receive support for reconstruction through multilateral assistance. Additionally, Uttarakhand, which faced significant damage from landslides and cloudbursts, will be provided with necessary assistance…,” she added.

The finance minister said PM Gram Sadak Yojana Phase 4 will be launched to provide all-weather roads to 25,000 rural habitats.

Sitharaman presented her seventh consecutive budget today, eclipsing the late Moraji Desai’s record of six consecutive budgets, who presented five annual budgets and one interim budget between 1959 and 1964 as finance minister. Desai, however, holds the record of presenting the most numbers of budgets at 10.

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This was the much-awaited full budget for 2024-25, the first under the Modi 3.0 government.

Sitharamam had in February presented the interim budget, which took care of the financial needs of the intervening period until a government was formed after the Lok Sabha polls.

Sitharaman, who will turn 65 next month, was appointed as India’s first full-time woman finance minister in 2019 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi won a decisive second term. Since then, she has presented six straight budgets, including an interim one in February this year.

The budget session of Parliament began on July 22 and, according to schedule, will end on August 12.

With inputs from agencies