Sitharaman has made several major announcements

In her first Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has made several major announcements. These announcements range from increasing private participation in railways to early implementation of the Model Fare Act in the country. The water requirement will be met under "Her Ghar Jal, Har Ghar Nal" schemes. Roads will be upgraded to connect villages with rural markets. The 1,25,000-km-long road will be upgraded in the next five years in the third phase of the PMGSY.

This time the government has set a target of constructing houses for the needy in 114 days- the scheme aims to build 1.95 crore house. The PSU will also build houses on corporate lands. Similarly, to increase foreign investment, FDI will increase in media. 100 per cent investment in insurance. Government to raise foreign investment limit in single-brand retail.

For your information, the Finance Minister is presenting this Budget at a time when the country's economy has weakened. The fears of a bad monsoon, sluggishness in the global economy and the challenges of trade wars are already in the forefront. In the first three months of 2019, GDP has declined to 5.8 per cent, the lowest level in five years. India's economic growth rate has gone below China's 6.4 per cent.