While presenting the budget for the year 2021-22, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the government has also proposed to start a portal to collect information about gig employees.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday announced an amount of Rs 1.10 lakh crore for the Railways, out of which Rs 1.07 lakh crore is for capital expenditure. He said that after the commissioning of separate corridors of railway trains, they will monetize them.
Sitharaman, presenting the Union Budget 2021-22, appreciated the services provided by the railways for the transportation of essential commodities across the country during the coronavirus lockdown.
He said, ‘I am announcing a record amount of Rs 1,10,055 crore for Railways, out of which Rs 1,07,100 crore is for capital expenditure only.
Sitharaman said, ‘Indian Railways has prepared a National Rail Scheme for India -2030. The objective of this scheme is to prepare the railway system for the future by 2030, so as to reduce the logistic cost for the industry and promote Make in India.
He hoped that the Eastern and Western Goods Corridors (EDFC and WDFC) would be operational by June 2022.
He said, ‘Apart from this, some initiatives are also proposed. The 263 km Sonnagar-Gomo section on EDFC will be taken up in Public Private Partnership (PPP) this year. Also, the Gomo-Dankuni section of 274.3 km will also be included in it.
The Finance Minister said that the Railways will carry forward the work on future freight corridor projects – East Coast corridor from Kharagpur to Vijayawada, East-West corridor from Bhusaval to Kharagpur and North-South corridor from Itarsi to Vijayawada.
Sitharaman said that a detailed project report will be prepared under the first phase.
Emphasizing on passenger comfort and safety, he said that the railway will install better designed VistaDome LHB coaches for better travel experience for passengers.
Gigs, platform employees to get social security benefits: Finance Minister
The central government said that the benefits of social security will also be given to the platforms and gig employees.
Presenting the budget for the year 2021-22, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the government has also proposed to start a portal to collect information of gig employees, building and construction workers (construction workers) and others.
Sitharaman said in his budget speech in Lok Sabha that a portal will be prepared to collect information about gig and platform employees, building and construction workers and others so that health, loan (simple financing), food and other benefits can be made available to them.
He said that social security will be universalized for the entire workforce including gig and platform employees in the Social Security Code 2020 for the first time.
Gigs and platform employees are those associated with various e-commerce services such as Uber, Ola, Swiggy and Zomato. They do not get salary, due to which they are denied social security benefits like provident fund, group insurance and pension.
Of the total workforce of 50 crores in India, 40 crores belong to the unorganized sector, which includes agriculture and rural employees.
Simaraman also said that one country, one ration card scheme is in the process of being implemented in 32 states and one union territory.
He also said that a central university will be set up in Leh, while hundred military schools will be opened with the help of NGOs. Along with this, 15000 schools will be strengthened under the National Education Policy.
Apart from this, the central government also said that it will encourage the formation of single-person companies (OPCs). This will benefit startup units and individuals engaged in innovation.
Nirmala Sitharaman said that the formation of such companies will be encouraged. They will be allowed to increase without any restriction on paying capital and turnover.
Apart from this, there will also be provisions such as changing the status of any category company at any time, making the OPC for an Indian citizen to reduce the time limit of residence from 182 days to 120 days and making OPCs in the country to non-resident Indians.
Finance Minister said, ‘This will be a big incentive for startups’.
