Budget to focus on jobs, sustainable development: Javadekar

The Budget 2016-17 will be a “historical one” with focus on job creation and sustainable development, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said today.

“The Budget will be essentially a historical one. It will ensure path of job creation and ensure sustainable development. That is the thrust of the Narendra Modi government,” Javadekar said while interacting with captains of the industry and farmer representatives here.

Stating that the focus of the government is on “Jawan, Noujavan, Kisan and Karmachari” (Soldier, Youth, Farmer and Labourer), Javadekar said that different ministries were talking to representatives of various sectors separately to meet their expectations.

For the welfare of labourers, the government increased minimum wages, enhanced the ceiling of bonus and fixed wages for the contract workers, a step which was never taken before, he said.

“We represent the aspirations of poor class,” he said adding, in one year, a record 17-crore poor people have opened bank accounts under the Jan Dhan Yojana and 12 crore insured for accident by paying Rs 12.

Responding to various issues raised by various industries such as textile, engineering, manufacturing, processing, pump and motors, Javadekar said that Zero Liquid Discharge was not the policy, but not polluting rivers as the policy, and referred the issue of Ganga, where nearly 550 polluting industries were made to use monitoring device and over 200 units made to close operations.

The Minister said that the Centre’s main focus is on reforms and through its “GiveItUp” LPG subsidy scheme, the government has been able to persuade around 10 lakh people to give up the benefit, benefiting the poor living without a gas connection.

There are 40 per cent households who do not have LPG connection and use firewood, he said, adding the Centre is planning to provide connection to all in next 10 years.

Similarly, the government has brought stability in the sugar industry, which was facing frequent cane pricing issue, and started ethanol blending in petrol, which was blocked by import lobby earlier, Javadekar said.