'Saptarishi' in Union Budget 2023-24: Inclusive Development-Know Priority No 1 

The government’s philosophy of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas has facilitated inclusive development, said Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman while presenting the Union Budget for 2023-24 in the Parliament on Wednesday. 
She said the Union Budget has adopted seven priorities which complement each other and act as the ‘Saptarishi’ guiding us through the Amrit Kaal. 

Inclusive development is one of the priorities of the Government, which includes Health, Education and Skilling.

1. Inclusive Development 

2. Reaching the last mile
3. Infrastructure and investment
4. Unleashing the potential
5. Green Growth
6. Youth Power 
7. Finance Sector

Inclusive Development

The Finance Minister said that the Government’s philosophy of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas has led to inclusive development covering in specific, farmers, women, youth, OBCs, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, divyangjan and economically weaker sections, and overall priority for the underprivileged (vanchiton ko variyata). There has also been a sustained focus on Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh and the North-East in the budget this year.

Key Components

Agriculture and Cooperation

Digital Public Infrastructure for Agriculture:  Digital public infrastructure for agriculture will be built as an open source, open standard and inter operable public good

Agriculture Accelerator Fund: An Agriculture Accelerator Fund will be set-up to encourage agri-startups by young entrepreneurs in rural areas. The Fund will aim at bringing innovative and affordable solutions for challenges faced by farmers.

Enhancing productivity of cotton crop: To enhance the productivity of extra-long staple cotton, the Centre will adopt a cluster-based and value chain approach through Public Private Partnerships (PPP). 

It refers to collaboration between farmers, state and industry for input supplies, extension services, and market linkages.
Atmanirbhar Horticulture Clean Plant Program:  Atmanirbhar Clean Plant Program will be launched to boost availability of disease-free, quality planting material for high value horticultural crops at an outlay of Rs 2,200 crore.
Global Hub for Millets: ‘Shree Anna’

India is the largest producer and second largest exporter of ‘Shree Anna’ in the world. To make India a global hub for 'Shree Anna', the Indian Institute of Millet Research, Hyderabad will be supported as the Centre of Excellence for sharing best practices, research and technologies at the international level.

Agriculture Credit: The agriculture credit target will be increased to ` 20 lakh crore with focus on animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries.

Medical & Nursing Colleges: 157 new nursing colleges will be established in co-location with the existing 157 medical colleges established since 2014.

Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission: A Mission to eliminate Sickle Cell Anaemia by 2047 will be launched. It will entail awareness creation, universal screening of 7 crore people in the age group of 0-40 years in affected tribal areas, and counselling through collaborative efforts of central ministries and state governments.

Medical Research: Facilities in select ICMR Labs will be made available for research by public and private medical college faculty and private sector R&D teams for encouraging collaborative research and innovation.

Teachers’ Training: Teachers’ training will be re-envisioned through innovative pedagogy, curriculum transaction, continuous professional development, dipstick surveys, and ICT implementation.
National Digital Library for Children and Adolescents:

A National Digital Library for children and adolescents will be set-up for facilitating availability of quality books across geographies, languages, genres and levels, and device agnostic accessibility.