An allocation of Rs. 60,000 crore has been made to cover 3.8 crore households in 2022-23 under Har Ghar, Nal Se Jal Scheme. Presenting the Union Budget 2022-23, the Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Smt Nirmala Sitharaman said that since 2014, the government’s focus has been on empowerment of citizens, especially the poor and the marginalized. Measures have included programmes that have provided housing, electricity, cooking gas and access to water. Giving more details, the Finance Minister said that the current coverage of Har Ghar, Nal Se Jal is 8.7 crores, out of which 5.5 crore households were provided tap water in last 2 years itself.

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana

Smt Nirmala Sitharaman  also announced an allocation of Rs.48,000 crore for completion of 80 lakh houses for the identified eligible beneficiaries of PM Awas Yojana, both Rural and Urban, in 2022-23. The Central Government will work with the state governments for reduction of time required for all land and construction related approvals, for promoting affordable housing for middle class and Economically Weaker Sections in urban areas. The Government will also work with the financial sector regulators to expand access to capital along with reduction in cost of intermediation.

Vibrant Villages Programme

The Finance Minister proposed to cover villages on the Northern border under the new Vaibrant Villages Programme. “Border villages with sparse population, limited connectivity and infrastructure often get left out from the development gains. Such villages on the northern border will be covered under the new Vibrant Villages Programme. The activities will include construction of village infrastructure, housing, tourist centres, road connectivity, provisioning of decentralized renewable energy, direct to home access for Doordarshan and educational channels, and support for livelihood generation. Additional funding for these activities will be provided. Existing schemes will be converged. We will define their outcomes and monitor them on a constant basis”, Smt Nirmala Sitharaman said.

Aspirational Blocks Programme

The Finance Minister, in her Budget Speech, said that in 2022-23, the focus of the Aspirational Districts Programme will be on the Blocks which have not shown sufficient progress in key sectors. “Our vision to improve the quality of life of citizens in the most backward districts of the country through Aspirational Districts Programme has been translated into reality in a short span of time. 95 per cent of those 112 districts have made significant progress in key sectors such as health, nutrition, financial inclusion and basic infrastructure. They have surpassed the state average values. However, in those districts, some blocks continue to lag. In 2022-23, the programme will focus on such blocks in those districts”, Smt Nirmala Sitharaman said.

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