Budget 2021: New hopes for urban infra development

This year’s Union Budget is of extreme importance to understand the renewed priorities of the government in the post-covid era. The Budget has focused majorly on development of the country’s health services and urban infra reuirements. Cities must use the opportunity to use the funds to strengthen their resilience and be prepared for evolving challenges.

The Budget has noted a drastic increase in the overall distribution of resources and reforms for infrastructure development as the government has allocated 34.5 per cent more funds to the cause as compared to last year. Not only has this made the public anxious of the future of development in India, it has also turned the eyes of world leaders towards the push that the Centre is planning on giving to COVID recovery and sustainable, eco-friendly and inclusive development.
The sector which has witnessed the most drastic change in resource allocations is healthcare. The Budget outlay for health and well-being is 2,23,846 crore in 2021-22, as against only94,452 crore (in 2020-21) and marks an increase of 137 per cent. As an obvious impact of the pandemic, the Centre has now realised the importance of the development of the healthcare sector. Keeping this in mind, the Government of India has announced the Pradhan Matri Aatmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana with an estimated allocation of 64,180 crore. The scheme will focus mainly on developing primary and secondary private and public healthcare centres and equipping them with modern technologies. The Yojana will also work on strengthening five regional centres and 20 metropolitan surveillance units of the National Centre for Disease Control. This will help the country be ready if and when another pandemic hits the country. Another sphere that has received a considerable push in the Budget for FY 2021 is urban infrastructure. Not only is the government investing in highways in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, it is also working on construction of MetroLite and MetroNeo projects in Tier 2 and peripheral areas of Tier 1 cities. This is an important move as it will also contribute to encouraging people to use public transport, especially at a time when the public is wary of public transport due to the uncertainty of whether COVID-19 precautions will be followed or not. Sitharaman’s announcement of privatisation of airports is also being considered to be a welcome move as according to experts, it will help greatly in giving a push to further development and proper upkeep of airport infrastructure. Additionally, with the aim of bringing down cost of logistics, the Indian Railways’ National Rail Plan was also announced which will focus on creating a future-ready system of railways in India by 2030. The government has also announced an infusion of18,000 crore in the public bus transport systems across the country to augment their usage and improve their feasibility as agents of first and last
mile connectivity.
With the aim of boosting the textile industry in the country, the government has committed to construction of Mega Textile Parks which will provide world-class infrastructure along with plug and play facility. Sitharaman said that the Centre will work towards setting up seven textile parks across the country in three years starting 2021.
The entire Budget for the FY 2021-22 is focused majorly on urban infrastructure development. Apart from directing the focus on overall development of roads, railways, local public transport, airports and healthcare, the Centre has also made a statement that it is committed to sustainable and equitable growth of people from all walks of lives residing in cities across India.