The Union Minister of Finance, Nirmala Sitharaman, presented the Union Budget for 2021-22. This was the first ever digital Union Budget or Paper less Budget.

  • This based on six pillars – health and well-being, physical and financial capital and infrastructure, inclusive development for aspirational India, reinvigorating human capital, innovation and Research and development, and ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance‘.
  • This section deals with the proposals for the Health and Wellbeing Sector.

The Budget and Constitutional Provisions

  • As per the Article 112 of the Constitution of India, the Union Budget of a year is referred to as the Annual Financial Statement.
  • It is a statement of the estimated receipts and expenditure of the Government in a Financial Year (FY) (which begins on 1st April of the current year and ends on 31st March of the following year).
  • Overall, the Union Budget contains:
    • The Estimates of revenue and capital receipts,
    • The Ways and means to raise the revenue,
    • To Estimates of expenditure,
    • Details of the actual receipts and expenditure of the closing financial year (FY) and the reasons for any deficit or surplus in that year, and
    • The economic and financial policy of the next year, i.e., taxation proposals, prospects of revenue, spending programme and introduction of new schemes/projects.
  • In Parliament, the Union Budget goes through six stages:
    1. The Presentation of Budget.
    2. General discussion.
    3. Scrutiny by Departmental Committees.
    4. Voting on Demands for Grants.
    5. Passing an Appropriation Bill.
    6. Passing of the Finance Bill.
  • The Union Budget Division of the Department of Economic Affairs in the Union Ministry of Finance is the nodal body responsible for preparing the Budget.
  • The first Budget of Independent India was presented in the year 1947.

Highlights

  • Budget Outlay: The Outlay for Health and Wellbeing in the year 2021-22 as against 2020-21 is an increase of 137 per cent.
  • Major Steps: The Steps being taken for improving health and wellbeing:
    • Vaccines
      • Rupees. 35,000 crore for Covid-19 vaccine in Budget Expenditure for 2021-22.
      • Made-in-India Pneumococcal Vaccine to be rolled out in the country.
    • Health Systems
      • Pradhan Mantri AatmaNirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana – a new centrally sponsored scheme to be launched, in addition to National Health Mission.
    • Nutrition
      • National Mission Poshan 2.0 to be launched to improve nutritional outcomes across 112 aspirational districts.
    • Universal Coverage of Water Supply
      • The Jal Jeevan Mission (Urban) – to be launched – to bring safe water to 2.86 crore households through tap connection.
    • Swachch Bharat, Swasth Bharat
    • Clean Air
      • Rupees 2,217 crore to tackle air pollution, for 42 urban centers with a million plus population.
    • Scrapping Policy
      • Voluntary vehicle scrapping policy to phase out old and unfit vehicles.

Budget 2021 Highlights for Health and Wellbeing Budget 2021 Highlights for Health and Wellbeing