5.26 lakh people benefitted from Atal Pension Yojana in Bengaluru: Sitharaman
Mar 24, 2024
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], March 24 : Hailing the Centre's Atal Pension Yojana (APY), Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Sunday a total of 5.26 lakh people have benefitted from the scheme only in Bangalore.
The Atal Pension Yojana (APY) is the government's flagship social security programme launched eight years ago.
Speaking at an informal interaction organised by the Thinkers Forum here, Sitharaman said, "The Atal Pension Yojana has benefitted 5.26 lakh poor people aged 60 and above in Bengaluru, alone. As many as 1.95 lakh houses have been sanctioned for urban and rural pockets within Bangalore, and a total of 1.95 lakh houses have been sanctioned under the PM Awas Yojana. Under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, 11 crore or more wholesale toilets have been constructed all over India and 28,075 household toilets have been constructed in Bengaluru."
She further informed that the production-linked scheme has attracted an investment of 1.03 lakh crores till November 2023.
"As many as 14-sector production-linked incentive schemes (PLI) have also drawn a lot of private investments in the country, leading to a boost in production and sales. In March 2024, Applied Materials Incorporation India announced the commissioning of an India validation centre at Pride Materials India, in Bengaluru, which will mark the next step in its journey as a nebula in the semiconductor ecosystem in India."
"In October 2023, Nokia opened a 6G lab. We know where it is, and we are one of the leading countries in 5G technology. In Bengaluru, a 6 GM lab has been opened by Nokia to accelerate the development of fundamental technology," the Finance Minister added.
Sitharaman added that the state's share of the GST mop-up of Rs 1.06 crore for Karnataka for the period between 2017 to 22 was released in full and no GST compensation is due for Karnataka as of March 2024.
In a veiled swipe at the Congress for contesting the Centre's growth projections, Sitharaman said, "The rate of growth pre-GST was only 11.68 per cent. Today, as it is reaching 15 per cent, they can't accept it and say the numbers are exaggerated. I wish to tell the state government that GST is benefiting you. It is beginning to raise your revenues from taxes."
