Budget 2023: From PRANAM to MISHTI, Modi Govt’s Love for Acronyms Continues

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday again took a digital tablet wrapped in a traditional ‘bahi-khata’ style pouch to Parliament and presented Union Budget 2023-24 in a paperless format just like the previous two years. Here’s a list of some schemes in which acronyms were used by the Modi government: ◉ PM-PRANAM: Sitharaman announced that the Pradhan Mantri-Promotion of Alternate Nutrients for Agriculture Management Yojana will be launched to incentivize states to promote alternative fertilisers. ◉ SHAKTI: Scheme to Harness and Allocate Koyla Transparently in India is a policy designated by the Modi government for the allocation of coal among thermal power plants in a transparent and objective manner. ◉ USTTAD: Launched in May 2015, Upgrading Skills and Training in Traditional Arts/Crafts for Development was the NDA government’s ambitious scheme for minorities. The scheme aimed at pilgrimage destinations’ infrastructure development such as entry points, last mile connectivity, basic tourism facilities like Information/Interpretation Centers, ATM/money exchange, eco-friendly modes of transport, lighting and illumination with renewable sources of energy, parking, drinking water, toilets, cloak room, waiting rooms, first aid centers, craft bazars /haats/ souvenir shops/ cafeteria, rain shelters, telecom facilities, internet connectivity etc.