A slew of welfare schemes for marginalised communities were announced in the Union Budget for 2023-24. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that all cities and towns in the country will be enabled for 100% mechanical desludging of septic tanks and sewers. She said that the cleaning of sewers and septic tanks will “transition from manhole to machine-hole mode.”
Sitharaman said that under the Pradhan Mantri Kalyana Anna Yojana, free foodgrains worth Rs 2 lakh crore would be provided to all the Antyodaya and priority households for one year. The cost of this initiative would be borne entirely by the union government. The outlay for Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) has been enhanced by 66% and is expected to cover up to Rs 79,000 crore. The objective of this fund is to provide housing for all. The PMAY fund saw an increase from Rs 48,000 crore that was allocated in the previous Budget.
An outlay of Rs 15,000 crore was allocated for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) to provide them with safe housing, clean water, sanitation, and health infrastructure among other initiatives. In the next three years, the union government aims to recruit 38,800 teachers and support staff for the Eklavya Modern Residential Schools which serves around 3.5 lakh tribal students. Apart from this, the Finance Minister stated that financial support will be provided to poor people who are in prison and are unable to afford paying the penalty or bail amount. However, she did not mention how much funds were allocated for the same.