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HomeNationJairam Ramesh Criticizes Sitharaman For Omitting School Breakfast And Anganwadi Workers' Honorarium...

Jairam Ramesh Criticizes Sitharaman For Omitting School Breakfast And Anganwadi Workers’ Honorarium Increase In Budget

New Delhi [India], February 1: Congress MP Jairam Ramesh has strongly criticized Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for excluding several important proposals in the Union Budget, including the inclusion of breakfast in schools, a revision in the honorarium for Anganwadi workers under the Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 schemes.

In a post on X, Ramesh expressed disappointment over the Finance Minister’s decision to ignore these crucial provisions, stating, “The Finance Minister has announced the revision of cost norms for the Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 schemes after years of rejecting such demands. However, she has not extended this to important areas like: i) inclusion of breakfast in schools, ii) provision of a glass of milk, as done in Karnataka under the Ksheera Bhagya Scheme, and iii) an upward revision in honorarium for Anganwadi workers.”

Ramesh further pointed out that the Union Education and Women and Child Development Ministries had been advocating for these proposals for years, only to face repeated rejections from the Finance Ministry. He questioned the Finance Minister’s vision for people-centric investments, stating, “What kind of investment in people is the Finance Minister envisioning without these basic provisions?”

In her Budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman did announce an increase in funding for the Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 schemes, which support over 8 crore children, 1 crore pregnant women and lactating mothers, and around 20 lakh adolescent girls in aspirational districts and the North East region. She emphasized that cost norms for nutritional support would be enhanced under the schemes.

Additionally, Sitharaman unveiled a major step toward India’s clean energy transition by introducing a Nuclear Energy Mission. The mission aims to develop at least 100 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear energy by 2047, in line with the vision of a “Viksit Bharat” (Developed India). To facilitate this transition, the government plans to amend key legislation, such as the Atomic Energy Act and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, to encourage greater private sector participation.

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