Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (1) praised his government's budget presented by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman saying it would lay foundation of a strong economy.
In a national address after the budget for the 2023-24, the last full-fledged one before the next general elections next year, was presented, Modi said, "This budget will fulfil the dreams of the poor, villagers, farmers and middle class."
In her fifth budget presented since 2019, Sitharaman besides raising the rebate for individual tax-payers from up to Rs 5 lakh (£4,961) to Rs 7 lakh (£6,945) annually, said the government will spend a whopping Rs 15,000 crore (£1.4 billion) on a mission for safe housing, sanitation, potable water, and electricity for tribals.
Other social welfare measures announced in the budget include assistance to one crore farmers to convert to natural farming, and raising the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana's share by 66 per cent to Rs 79,000 crore (£7.8 billion).
This photograph taken on April 28, 2026 shows a boy getting "thali", a sacred thread tied to his neck symbolising marriage to Hindu warrior god Aravan during the annual Koovagam transgender festival at the Koothandavar temple in Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi district. For a few fleeting days each year, at the heart of the Koothandavar Temple where ostracised transgender community members from across India come to honour the Hindu deity Aravan, a tradition rooted in millennia-old Hindu texts -- and to enjoy a brief oasis of freedom.Getty Images
This photograph taken on April 29, 2026 shows a member of the transgender community mourning as a priest cuts the "thali", a sacred thread symbolising end of her marriage to Hindu warrior god Aravan during the annual Koovagam transgender festival at the Koothandavar temple in Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi district. For a few fleeting days each year, at the heart of the Koothandavar Temple where ostracised transgender community members from across India come to honour the Hindu deity Aravan, a tradition rooted in millennia-old Hindu texts -- and to enjoy a brief oasis of freedom. Getty Images