Budget 2021 news updates: Nirmala Sitharaman delivers budget speech at parliament.
New Delhi:
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman addressed parliament today with details of the Union Budget 2021, the first after a difficult year for the economy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She announced foreign direct investment (FDI) hike in insurance to 74 per cent from 49 per cent with foreign control under safeguards. The Finance Minister has set a target of Rs 16.5 lakh crore as agricultural credit. Her budget speech comes after a difficult year for the economy due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which shut down businesses for months, leading to lost earnings, curtailed consumer spending and job cuts. The total impact of Atmanirbhar Bharat and measures by RBI was Rs 27.1 lakh crore, which amounts to 30 per cent of GDP, Ms Sitharaman said. 2021 is a year of many milestones, she said.