Singh said India has become the fourth country in the world to light up its skies with 1,000 drones which would be linked to industry in future.
Union minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday said there are abundant job opportunities for the youth as the “futuristic” budget was aimed at making India a global leader under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said consistency, conviction and courage are the defining factors of the successive budgets of the BJP-led government.
“As far as job creation is concerned, there are abundant opportunities in this budget…the capital expenditure (CAPEX) was increased from 5.5 lakh crore to 7.2 lakh crore (in the budget 2022-23), that means 40 per cent will go to job creation,” Singh, the Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister's office, told reporters at the BJP headquarters here after holding detailed discussions on the Budget 2022-23 with party leaders.
He said a job does not necessarily mean a government job as the government's focus is on encouraging startups and science and technology to provide an opportunity with Rs 3 lakh crore for job creation.
Singh said India has become the fourth country in the world to light up its skies with 1,000 drones which would be linked to industry in future.
He was referring to the Beating the Retreat ceremony on January 29, where a startup from IIT-Delhi put up a drone show with nearly 1,000 drones to commemorate 75 years of the country’s independence.
The minister said this was the 10th budget of the Modi-led government and all of them had three 'Cs' - consistency, conviction and courage which were the defining factors of these budgets.
“These successive budgets under PM Modi have led India forward towards assuming a global role. The world is saying that it is India's decade (2021-30) and by 2047, India would have assumed the frontline role,” he said.
“The futuristic budget presented by the government has two important aspects, one linked to science and technology and the second to tap the unexplored potential,” he added.
He said whether it is a farming sector, chemical-free farming, drone power, startups and development of 25,000 km road infrastructure.
“India is the only country in the world which has an ocean named after it (Indian Ocean). Those who have named it in India know how much treasure is hidden there. We started a mission to explore it while the space mission was also unlocked after Modi removed the taboos,” the minister said. He said the budget also focussed on farming, agriculture and dairy sectors.
“After the (outbreak of) COVID-19, Modi emerged as the tallest leader in the world. The world is ready to be led by India but the question is whether we are ready for that. This is the budget which will prepare India for the role to make the country world leader under the leadership of Modi,” the minister said.
Asked about an order issued by the General Administration Department (GAD) announcing the withdrawal of all posts referred to the Public Service Commission (PSC) and Services Selection Board (SSB) before October 31, 2019, for which selections have not been finalised to date, he said the Union Territory administration can respond to it as he does not know about it.
“As far as the Centre is concerned, the department of personnel and training (DoPT), no such orders have been issued from our side,” he said.
He said the only directions passed by the DoPT, which is headed by him, is that the process of interviews for selection to various government posts has been done away with following complaints of favouritism in the process of interviews.
“We have taken measures that there is no intervention from any quarter and the process of selection is based on merit in the written examination,” he said.
The minister, who represents the Udhampur constituency of Jammu and Kashmir in parliament, said Mantalai resort in Udhampur is ready to welcome visitors with a state-of-the-art wellness centre and helipad.
“Tourism in the Jammu region continues to be the focus of the government. Boating has already started at Mansar lake and several other tourism projects, including a wildlife sanctuary, are coming up shortly,” he said, adding the completion of the projects will give a big boost to tourism in these areas.
Surrounded by Deodar trees and lush green forests, an international Yoga centre is coming up, over a sprawling 125-acre Ashram at Mantalai, at an estimated cost of Rs 86.27 crore, as part of the 'integrated development of tourist facilities' project at c.
The work on the project had commenced in 2017 and, facilities like a swimming pool, airstrip, spa, helipad, gymnasium, auditorium, hostels and business convention centre are coming up at the Centre. The project also includes cafeterias at Sudhmaha Dev and Patnitop.
With PTI inputs.