Nirmala Sitharman News

Economic Survey 2024 which was tabled by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharman on Monday stated that food inflation based on the Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI) increased from 3.8 per cent in FY22 to 6.6 per cent in FY23 and further to 7.5 per cent in FY24, suggesting a 97 per cent surge in the last two years.

new income tax bill is likely to be tabled in the Parliament this week. The new income tax bill has been cleared by the Union Cabinet on February 7, 2025. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in Budget 2025 that she will table the new income tax bill in the Parliament. According to media reports, the new income tax bill will likely be sent to the Standing Committee on Finance once it is tabled in the Parliament.

Union Budget 2024 that is set to be presented on July 23, the Centre is mulling over the idea of doubling the beneficiary base under its flagship Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme over the next three years, with all those aged above 70 years to be brought under its ambit, to begin with, and also increase the insurance coverage to Rs 10 lakh per year. These proposals or some parts of it are expected to be announced in the Union Budget. In the interim Budget, the government increased the allocation for the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), which provides health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to 12 crore families, to Rs 7,200 crore while Rs 646 crore was assigned for the Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM).

Nirmala Sitharman on Saturday held a meeting with heads of public sector banks and reviewed their financial performance. During the meeting, concerns related to cyber security and the risks on the financial sector were discussed, sources said. Issues related to fraud and wilful defaulters and progress on the National Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd (NARCL) also came up for discussion, they said.

Nirmala Sitharaman has said consultations are going on over cryptocurrency within the government