Analysis of President's Speech 2019.pdf

## Analysis Of The President'S Address To Parliament In 2019

The President of India, Mr. Ram Nath Kovind, addressed Parliament on June 20, 2019.1  In his address, he outlined the major policy priorities of the government.  The table below highlights some items outlined in the President's Address and the current status of the initiatives undertaken with respect to these items based on data available till January 29, 2020.  The data sources have been indicated in the end notes.  

Policy Priority 
Current Status 

## Economy And Finance

India is on the way to become the world's 5th largest economy in terms of GDP.  The government seeks to make India a five trilliondollar economy by 2024.  

 
Growth rate:  As per International Monetary Fund, India was the fifth largest economy in 2019 in terms of GDP at current prices.2  GDP is estimated to grow at 5% in 2019-20 compared to 6.8% growth in 2018-19.3   GDP in 2019-20 is estimated at USD 2.9 trillion, which is 7.5% higher than the provisional estimate for 2018-19.3  
 Table 1: Growth rate of Agriculture, Manufacturing, and Services sectors (in %)4 
Growth rate  
2014-15 
2015-16 
2016-17 
2017-18 
2018-19 

The government is working to transform India into a Global Manufacturing Hub.  

| Agriculture    |   4.8  |   5.4  |   7.9  |   5  |   2.1  |
|----------------|--------|--------|--------|------|--------|
|                |        |        |        |      |        |
| Manufacturing  |    6.5 |    7.1 |    8   |  6.7 |    7.6 |
| Services       |    9.6 |    9   |    8.5 |  8.6 |    7.6 |
|                |        |        |        |      |        |
| GDP            |    7.4 |    8   |    8.2 |  7.2 |    6.8 |
|                |        |        |        |      |        |

Note: Agriculture includes agriculture, forestry, and mining; manufacturing includes manufacturing, construction, and electricity and water supply; and services includes trade, transport, financial, real estate and defence services. 

Inflation is low and fiscal deficit is under control. 

 
Inflation:  A target of 4% (within a 2% to 6% range) for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation is set for the period 2016-2021.5  CPI inflation in the first three quarters of 2019-20 was: (i) 3.1% (Apr-Jun); (ii) 3.5% (Jul-Sep); and (iii) 5.8% (Oct-Dec).6  Food inflation in the first three quarters of 2019-20 was: (i) 1.7% (Apr-Jun); (ii) 3.5% (Jul-Sep); and (iii) 10.7% (Oct-Dec).6  

 
Fiscal Deficit: Target to be achieved as per the FRBM Act is 3% of GDP.  In 2019-20 it is budgeted to be 3.3% of GDP (Rs 7,03,760 crore).7  Till November 2019 (eight months of 2019-20), fiscal deficit stood at Rs 8,07,834 crore, i.e. 3.8% of GDP.8,9 

 
2014-15 
2015-16 
2016-17 
2017-18 
2018-19 
Fiscal Deficit (as % of GDP) 
4.1% 
3.9% 
3.5% 
3.5% 
3.4% 
 
Current Account Deficit (CAD):  CAD in the first two quarters of 2019-20 has been: (i) USD 14.3 billion (Apr-Jun); 
and (ii) USD 6.3 billion (Jul-Sep).11,12  

3rd Floor, Gandharva Mahavidyalaya  212, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg  New Delhi - 110002 
Tel: (011) 43434035  www.prsindia.org  

 
Foreign Trade:  Between April to December 2019, India's exports grew at 0.9% over the same period in 2018, and stood at USD 397.5 billion.13  Whereas, imports declined by 5.8%, and stood at USD 455.1 billion. 
 Foreign exchange reserves are growing.  

 
Foreign Exchange Reserves:  As on January 10, 2020, foreign exchange reserves grew by 16% over the last one 
year, and stood at USD 461 billion, as compared to USD 397 billion on January 11, 2019.14 

## Table 3: Foreign Exchange Reserves As Of January Each Year14

|                                            |     |    |     | Jan-16    |   Jan-17  | Jan-18    |   Jan-19  |   Jan- 20  |
|--------------------------------------------|-----|----|-----|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|------------|
| Foreign exchange reserves (in USD billion) | 349 |    | 360 |           |       414 |           |      397  |       461  |

 
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI):  FDI inflows during the first half of 2019-20 (Apr-Sep) stood at USD 26 billion, as compared to USD 22.7 billion and USD 25.4 billion for the same time period in 2018-19 and 2017-18 respectively.15,16 
 
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has reported that as of December 2019, 51 proclaimed offenders from 66 cases have left for other countries.17  CBI is processing 51 extradition requests which are pending at various stages. The total defrauded amount by persons in these 66 cases is approximately Rs 17,947 crore.17  
The Fugitive and Economic Offenders Act, 2018 has facilitated the receipt of information on fugitive economic offenders from 146 countries.  Automatic exchange of information with 80 of these countries has been established. 

 
Enforcement Directorate (ED) and CBI has filed applications in the relevant court against 10 individuals under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018.  As per the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, as of November 2019 there are six fugitive economic offenders who have left the country illegally.17  Further, ED has sent extradition requests for eight individuals.  
The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 has helped banks and other financial institutions settle loans of more than Rs 3.5 lakh crore. 

 
As of December 2019, 21,136 applications have been filed under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).  Of these, 9,653 cases (46%) involving an amount of about Rs 3.7 lakh crore have been disposed-off at pre-admission stage of IBC.18  2,838 cases (13%) have been admitted into Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process, of which 306 cases (1%) have been closed by appeal/review/withdrawal.  In the 161 resolved cases, the realisable amount is Rs 1.6 lakh crore.18 
With the implementation of GST, the concept of 'One country, One tax, One market' has become a reality.  Efforts to further simplify the GST will continue. 

 
In 2018-19, the central government generated a revenue of Rs 5.8 lakh crore (provisional actuals) through GST, which was 21% short of the budget estimate for the year.10  In 2019-20, GST revenue is budgeted to be Rs 6.6 lakh crore, an increase of 14% over the provisional actuals for 2018-19.9  Till November 2019 (eight months of 2019-20), GST revenue amounted to Rs 4 lakh crore, an increase of 4% over the same period previous year.8 
 
The Ministry of Finance had constituted a task force in November 2017 to review the Income Tax Act, 1961 and draft a new direct tax law.  The task force submitted its report in August 2019. 
Along with continuous reform, simplification of taxation system is also being emphasised.  In this direction, income tax exemptions have been provided to persons earning income up to five lakh rupees. 

 
The Income Tax Act was amended in February 2019 to provide 100% deduction to individuals with income up to five 
lakh rupees, starting the assessment year 2020-21.  In 2018-19, 5.4 crore returns (i.e. 98% of the returns) filed by 
individuals reported income less than five lakh rupees.19 
 
In October 2019, World Bank released its annual 'Ease of Doing Business' report.  In the report, India's rank improved to 63 out of 190 countries in 2019, from its rank of 77 in the previous year.20,21 
India's ranking in the Ease of Doing Business Index has improved from 142 in 2014 to 77 in 2019.  The government seeks to be among the top 50 countries in the world.   

 
According to the report, India introduced changes in certain parameters which led to this increase in its business ranking.  These include changes related to starting a business, dealing with construction permits, trading across 
borders, and resolving insolvency.21 
The world's largest financial inclusion campaign 'Jan-Dhan Yojana' has seen success. 

 
As on January 8, 2020, 37.83 crore accounts have been opened under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana since its launch (including 5 crore accounts opened in 2017-18).  Of this 59% of accounts have been opened in rural areas.  Deposits worth Rs 1.12 lakh crore have been made and 29.8 crore RUPAY debit cards have been 
issued.22,23  

|                                | Jan-17    |   Jan-18  | Jan- 19    |   Jan- 20  |
|--------------------------------|-----------|-----------|------------|------------|
| Number of accounts opened (in  |           |           |            |            |
| crore)                         |           |           |            |            |
| 6.84                           |           |      3.72 |            |        3.1 |
|                                |           |           |            |            |
|                                |           |           |            |            |
|                                |           |           |            |            |
|                                |           |           |            |            |
|                                |           |           |            |            |
|                                |           |           |            |            |
|                                |           |           |            |            |
|                                |           |           |            |            |
| Amount of deposits held (in Rs |           |           |            |            |
| lakh crore)                    |           |           |            |            |
| 0.67                           | 0.74      |      0.89 | 1.12       |            |

Note: The data for Jan 2020 is updated till January 08, 2020. 

 
As on January 22, 2020, Rs 9.1 lakh crore has been disbursed through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) programme to beneficiaries under 430 schemes and 56 ministries since it was launched in 2013.24 
Under the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme, funds from more than 400 schemes are being directly credited into the accounts of beneficiaries. 

|     | 2014-15    | 2015-16    | 2016-17    | 2017-18    | 2018-19    | 2019-20    |
|-----|------------|------------|------------|------------|------------|------------|

 

Amount disbursed (in Rs crore) 
38,926 
61,942 
74,689 
1,90,871 
3,29,796 
2,08,824 
Number of DBT beneficiaries (in crore) 
22.8 
31.2 
35.7 
124 
129.2 
143.3 

Since 2014, Rs 7.3 lakh crore have been transferred through DBT. Further, DBT has prevented the transfer of Rs 1.4 lakh crore to ineligible beneficiaries and enabled the removal of eight crore ineligible beneficiaries. 

Note: The data for 2019-20 is updated till January 22, 2020.  From 2017-18, numbers include both cash and in kind transfers. 

 
India Post Payments Bank was launched by opening postal banks in 650 districts in September 2018.25  It has enabled more than 1.35 lakh banking access points, of which 1.1 lakh are in rural areas. 
About 1.5 lakh post offices in the country are being prepared to provide banking services through 'India Post Payment Bank' to ensure that banking services are readily available in every village. 

## Home Affairs, External Affairs And Defence

To prevent illegal immigration, the government has decided to implement the National Register of Citizens on priority basis in areas affected by infiltration.  Security along the border will be further strengthened to prevent infiltration. 

 
The National Register of Citizens (NRC) was updated in Assam and the complete draft was published on August 31, 2019.26  3,11,21,004 persons were found eligible for inclusion in the final NRC.  19,06,657 persons were not 
included in the final NRC (including those who did not submit claims).26  Any person who is not satisfied with the 
outcome of the claims and objections can file appeal before the Foreigners Tribunals. 
 
 
Table 6 gives the total number of infiltration cases along Indian borders from 2016 to 2018. 
Table 6: Cases of infiltration along Indian borders27 

| Cases reported    | Bangladesh    |   Pakistan  |   Nepal  |   Myanmar  |
|-------------------|---------------|-------------|----------|------------|
|                   |               |             |          |            |
| 2016              | 3             |         25  |       6  |        74  |
| Nil               | Nil           |             |          |            |
|                   |               |             |          |            |
| 2017              | Nil           |         21  |       3  |        99  |
| Nil               | Nil           |             |          |            |
| 2018              | Nil           |         28  |       3  |       109  |
| Nil               | Nil           |             |          |            |

 
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was passed on December 11, 2019.  The Bill amends the Citizenship Act, 1955 and provides that the Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, who entered India on or before December 31, 2014, will not be treated as illegal migrants.28 
Government is fully committed to protecting the victims of persecution due to their faith.  In this regard, efforts will be made to amend the Citizenship Act,1955 while protecting the linguistic, cultural and social identities.  

 
The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019 was passed by Parliament on August 6, 2019.  The Bill provides for reorganisation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir into the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh.29  The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will be administered by the President, through an administrator appointed by him known as the Lieutenant Governor. 
All necessary steps for the development of Jammu and Kashmir and to provide a safe and peaceful environment to its residents will be taken. 

 
Table 7 shows the number of Left Wing Extremism violence in India between 2016 to 2019.   

|   Year  | Incidents    |   Security forces killed   |
|---------|--------------|----------------------------|
|   2016  | 1,048        |                        65  |

National security is a priority, steps are being taken to tackle Terrorism and Naxalism.  Considerable success has been achieved in this direction from 2014 to 2019.  Area affected by Naxalism is reducing continuously. 

|   2017  |   908  |   75  |
|---------|--------|-------|
|   2018  |   833  |   67  |
|   2019  |   339  |   38  |

Note: Data for 2019 is up till June 15, 2019.   

 
There is a 10% increase in the capital outlay in the defence budget 2019-20 from the revised estimates of 2018-19.31 This includes expenditure on tanks, naval vessels, and aircrafts, construction work, and machinery.  

|     | Actual 2017-18    | Revised Estimates 2018-19     | Budgeted Estimates 2019-20    |
|-----|-------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|

The government is rapidly taking forward the work of modernisation of the army and the armed forces.  India will receive the first Rafael fighter aircraft and Apache helicopters.  Government is also promoting the manufacture of modern armaments under Make in India. 

| Capital Outlay    | 90,438    | 93,982    | 1,03,394    |
|-------------------|-----------|-----------|-------------|

 
 
From 2016-17 to 2018-19, 149 capital acquisition contracts have been concluded.32  Of these, 91 contracts for procurement of defence equipment have been placed by Indian vendors.   
 
 
 
36 Rafale fighter aircrafts were purchased through an agreement between India and France, of which three aircrafts 
have been handed over to the Indian Air Force.33  Contract to purchase 22 Apache Attack Helicopters was signed 
with the Boeing Company and the US government, of which eight helicopters have been delivered.34  
 
A sum of Rs 10,795 crore has been paid as One Rank One Pension (OROP) arrears.35  Table 9 shows the progress 
in the implementation of OROP. 
Through 'One Rank One Pension', increased pensionary benefits are being given to ex-service men and expansion of health facilities, efforts are being made to improve their living standards. 

 
2015-16 
2016-17 
2017-18 
Total 
Amount paid (in Rs crore) 
2,862 
5,370 
2,563 
10,795 

Note:  The data is updated till June 26, 2019. 

## Industry

The government seeks to establish 50,000 start-ups in India by 2024. 

 
As on November 26, 2019, there are 25,115 start-ups in India recognized by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.36   
 
The credit guarantee scheme for Micro and Small Enterprises provides guarantees for credit facilities extended by lending institutions to the borrowers in the MSME sector.37  In 2018-19, the scheme had 4,35,520 beneficiaries and a cumulative loan amount of Rs 30,169 crore was approved.37 
Provisions will be made to enable entrepreneurs to avail loans up to Rs 50 lakh without any guarantee.  The credit guarantee coverage for entrepreneurs in the MSME sector will be enhanced to one lakh crore rupees. 

|     | 2015-16    | 2016-17    | 2017-18    | 2018-19    | 2019-20    |
|-----|------------|------------|------------|------------|------------|

Under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, 19 crore loans have been disbursed for self-employment.  The scheme will be expanded to cover 30 crore people. 

| Number of loans sanctioned (in lakh)    | 349      | 397      | 481      | 599      | 374      |
|-----------------------------------------|----------|----------|----------|----------|----------|
| Amount sanctioned  (in Rs crore)        | 1,37,449 | 1,80,529 | 2,53,677 | 3,21,723 | 1,91,520 |
| Amount disbursed (in Rs crore)          | 1,32,955 | 1,75,312 | 2,46,437 | 3,11,811 | 1,85,858 |

Note: The data for 2019-20 is updated till January 17, 2020.   

## Agriculture

 
The Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy increased by 3.7% from Rs 1,750 per quintal in 2018-19 to Rs 1,815 per quintal in 2019-20.  The MSP for wheat increased by 4.6% from Rs 1,840 per quintal in 2018-19 to Rs 1,925 per 
quintal in 2019-20.39 
To double farmers' income by 2022, certain decisions have been taken from 2014.  These include increasing Minimum Support Prices, approving 100% foreign direct investment in food processing, and extension of 'Crop Insurance Scheme' and 'Soil Health Cards'. 

 
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) was launched from Kharif 2016.  The scheme provides insurance coverage to farmers for crop failure.  

##  Table 11:  Implementation Of Pmfby From 2016-17 To 2018-1940

| Year    | Farmers enrolled    | Farmers who filed claims    | Claims paid (in Rs crore)    |
|---------|---------------------|-----------------------------|------------------------------|
| 2016-17 | 5.81 crore          | 1.48 crore                  | 16,662                       |
| 2017-18 | 5.27 crore          | 1.74 crore                  | 21,743                       |
| 2018-19 | 5.64 crore          | 1.65 crore                  | 18,921                       |



 
PM-KISAN scheme envisages beneficiaries to receive three instalments of Rs 2,000 each, per year.  With the increase in coverage, the government expected the scheme to cover around 14.5 crore beneficiaries.  So far, in 2019-20, 7.5 crore beneficiaries have received the first instalment, 6.1 crore have received the second instalment and 3 crore have received the third instalment.41 
To increase income support to farmers, the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi has been extended to every farmer in the country. Under the scheme, Rs 12,000 crore has been disbursed to farmers in three months.  The expected expenditure on the scheme is Rs 90,000 crore per annum. 

 
In 2019-20, Rs 75,000 crore has been allocated to the PM-KISAN scheme.  Till December 13, 2019, Rs 29,877 crore has been released under the scheme for the year 2019-20.42  In 2018-19, Rs 6,005 crore was released under the scheme (as against the revised estimate of Rs 20,000 crore for the year).   
A pension scheme has also been introduced for farmers above 60 years of age. 

 
Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana, launched in September 2019, provides for payment of minimum pension of Rs 3,000 per month to eligible small and marginal farmers on attaining the age of 60.43   It is a voluntary and contributory pension scheme, with monthly contribution by farmers ranging from Rs 55 to Rs 200.  As of January 2020, about 19 lakh farmer beneficiaries have registered under the scheme.43  In 2019-20, Rs 900 crore has been allocated to the scheme. 
 
The total proposed cost of the scheme for the period 2019-24 is Rs 13,343 crore.  The scheme has been allocated Rs 2,683 crore in 2019-20.44 
Government will start a special scheme for treatment of cattle-related diseases with an allocation of Rs 13,000 crore. 

 

## Rural And Urban Development

Every poor will have a pucca roof and access to medical facilities by 2022. 

 
The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) targets to provide 2.95 crore houses by 2022 to households that are houseless or living in kutcha houses.45  According to the Socio Economic and Caste Census, 2011, 5.4 
crore households are landless.46   

 
Year 
Physical Target 
Houses Completed 
% Completed 
2015-16 
21.20 
18.69 
88% 
 
2016-17 
42.76 
37.18 
87% 
2017-18 
32.03 
26.80 
84% 
 
2018-19 
25.16 
23.03 
92% 
 

No poor will defecate in the open after 2022. 

 
Table 13 shows the number of toilets constructed under Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)-Gramin between 2014-15 and 2019-20.  

Table 13: Toilets constructed and households covered: SBM-Gramin (in lakh)48,49 
 
 
2014-15 
2015-16 
2016-17 
2017-18 
2018-19 
2019-20 
Toilets constructed 
49 
124 
216 
296 
224 
228 
Households covered 
58 
125 
218 
300 
224 
16 

Note: The data for 2019-20 is updated till January 27, 2020. 

 
As on January 27, 2020, 6,03,175 villages have declared themselves Open Defecation Free (ODF), of which 99.3% have been verified.50  Table 14 shows the number of ODF villages. 

|                       | 2016-17    | 2017-18    | 2018-19    | 2019-20    |
|-----------------------|------------|------------|------------|------------|
| Declared ODF villages | 1,82,482   | 3,48,994   | 5,56,232   | 6,03,175   |
| Verified ODF villages | 1,82,461   | 3,48,795   | 5,53,923   | 5,99,064   |

Note: The data for 2019-20 is updated till January 27, 2020. 

Development of urban infrastructure in cities and suburbs will pave the way for economic progress and enhance employment opportunities. 

 
In 2019-20, the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) was allocated Rs 7,300 crore which was 14% higher than the revised estimates for 2018-19 (Rs 6,400 crore).51  Similarly, in 2019-20, the Smart Cities Mission was allocated Rs 6,450 crore which was 5% higher than the revised estimates for 2018-19 (Rs 6,169 crore). 
 
Under the Smart Cities Mission 5,151 projects worth Rs 2,05,018 crore have been proposed by the 100 Smart Cities.  Of these, projects worth Rs 1,49,512 (73%) have been tendered, and projects worth Rs 23,170 (11%) have been completed.52  
 
AMRUT focuses on the development of basic infrastructure services and governance reforms through a project based approach.53  Funds to states are released based on State Annual Action Plans.  Projects proposed under all State Annual Action Plans amount to Rs 77,640 crore.54 
 Metro rail network is being expanded rapidly in several cities.  The facility of 'One Nation, One Card' has been launched for seamless mobility. 

 
As of November 2019, 27 cities have rail metros that are operational or under construction.55 In 2019-20, the centre 
allocated Rs 19,152 crore towards metro projects, which is 23% more than the revised estimate for 2018-19 (Rs 15,600 crore).51 
 
As of December 31, 2018, 28 states/UTs have set up Real Estate Regulatory Authorities (of which 13 are interim authorities), and 21 States/UTs have set up Real Estate Appellate Tribunals (of which 12 are interim).56  As of July 2019, 43,398 real estate Projects have been registered under Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act.57,58 
 
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) was launched to provide housing for all by 2022.  It has two components- PMAY-Urban and PMAY-Gramin.  
The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 was passed to curb black money transactions in the real estate sector. Under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, nearly two crore new houses will be built in the villages by 2022. 

| PMAY    |   Houses sanctioned  |   Houses completed  | % Completed    |
|---------|----------------------|---------------------|----------------|
| Gramin  |                 139  |                 93  | 67%            |
|         |                      |                     |                |
| Urban   |                 103  |                 32  | 31%            |
| Total   |                 242  |                125  | 52%            |

Note: The data is as of January 25, 2020. 

## Transport

Every village will be connected by road by 2022.   

| Year    | Target Length    | Completed Length    | % Completed    |
|---------|------------------|---------------------|----------------|
|         |                  |                     |                |
| 2015-16 |                  | 33,649              | 35,155         |
|         |                  |                     |                |
| 2016-17 |                  | 48,812              | 47,447         |
| 2017-18 |                  | 51,000              | 28,844         |
|         |                  |                     |                |
| 2018-19 |                  | 57,700              | 49,041         |
|         |                  |                     |                |
| 2019-20 |                  | 50,097              | 13,475         |

Note: Data for 2019 is as of January 25, 2020. 

Under the 'Bharatmala Project', construction or upgradation of about 35,000 kilometers of National Highways is to be undertaken by 2022. 

 
As of October 2019, 255 road projects with an aggregate length of about 10,699 km have been approved under the 
Bharatmala project with total cost of approximately Rs 2,64,916 crore.62 
Under the 'Sagarmala Project', a network of good quality roads is being constructed in coastal areas and areas adjoining ports. 

 
Under port connectivity, 35 (15%) of 235 identified projects have been completed and 94 (40%) projects are under implementation.  The project cost for these 235 projects is Rs 2,35,528 crore.63   
There is emphasis on improving connectivity in North-East, hilly and tribal areas. 

 
From 2015 to 2019, under Special Accelerated Road Development Programme 1,262 km of road length worth Rs 17,065 crore has been completed in the North-East region.64  Under Bharatmala project, roads of about 5,301 km have been approved for improvement in the region.  Under PMGSY, road length of 20,708 km has been constructed at a cost of Rs 9,034 crore in the region.65 
Under the 'UDAN Scheme', air connectivity to smaller towns is being expanded rapidly. 

 
As of October 2019, 106 airports and 31 heliports have been identified for commencement of Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) flights connecting small cities.  There are 40 functional airports for RCS flights.  232 of the 706 sanctioned RCS routes have been operationalised.66,67 

## Energy

Every poor will have access to clean fuel and electricity by 2022. 

 
About 2.63 crore households were electrified under the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana including those in rural and tribal areas.68  During September 2019, in 18 states, average hours of power supply during the day to rural areas was more than 20 hours.69 
 
Under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana scheme 7.2 crore connections have been issued against a target of eight crore by March 2020 (90%).70  Further, the LPG coverage in the country has increased from 62% in May 2016 to 94% in March 2019. 
For supply of electricity, optimal utilisation of solar energy is being stressed upon. 

| Target                | Installed Generation Capacity    | % of target capacity    |
|-----------------------|----------------------------------|-------------------------|
| (By 2022)             | (As of December 2019)            | installed               |
|                       |                                  |                         |
| Renewable Energy      | 175 GW                           | 84.4 GW                 |
| Of which Solar Energy | 100 GW                           | 32.5 GW                 |
|                       |                                  |                         |

Electric vehicles are being promoted to reduce vehicular pollution. The network of electric charging stations for electric cars is being expanded rapidly. 

 
The Department of Heavy Industry launched Phase-II of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) India Scheme in March 2019.  This phase is for a period of three years with a total budgetary support of Rs 10,000 crore.72  Of this, Rs 1,000 crore has been earmarked for establishment of charging infrastructure 

## Education And Sports

 
In January 2019, government passed the Constitution (One Hundred and Third Amendment) Act, 2019 which implemented the provision for 10% reservation for the economically weaker sections.73   
Government has provided for 10% reservation in education and employment for youth belonging to the economically weaker sections of the general category of the society. 

 
The government has sanctioned Rs 4,315 crore for creation of additional 2,14,766 seats in 158 central educational institutions.74 
Government is striving to increase the number of seats in higher education institutions by 1.5 times by 2024.  This will add two crore seats. To enable higher educational institutions of India to find a place in the top 500 educational institutions of the world, they are being encouraged through grant of autonomy and financial assistance. 

 
Some institutions have been accredited the status of Institutions of Eminence by the Ministry of Human Resource Development.  The Ministry expects that these institutions will rank among the top 500 institutions in the world in the next 10 years.75  To achieve this, greater autonomy is being given to such institutions in admitting foreign students, fixing fees, and recruiting foreign faculty.  As of November 2019, the government has selected 10 Private Institutions 
and eight Public Institutions as Institutions of Eminence.76   
 
As of January 27, 2020 there are 5,441 Atal tinkering labs in the country.77  As of November 2019, the Mission has given grants-in-aid to 38 Atal incubation centres.78 
 To promote the use of technology in education, the Atal Innovation Mission is seeking to establish Atal Tinkering Labs in approximately 9,000 schools across the country.  Atal Incubation Centres will be set up in 102 universities and other institutions. 

 
The Khelo India programme was allocated Rs 601 crore in 2019-20, which was 90% more than the revised estimates for 2018-19 (Rs 317 crore).79  In 2018-19, 1,518 players were selected for training under the Khelo-India programme, of which 625 joined.80  As of November 2019, 2741 athletes have been identified under the scheme, of which 1388 athletes opted for the training.81 
To identify the players at the state and district level, 'Khelo-India Programme' will be widened.  Under this, 2,500 talented players have been selected, and are being trained.  This facility will be provided to 2,500 new players every year. 

 
As of November 2019, 173 sports infrastructure projects have been sanctioned and Rs 581 crore has been released for this purpose under the scheme.82 
Sports infrastructure in the country will be modernised and expanded. 

## Women & Child Development

Penalties for crimes against women have been made harsher and the new penal provisions are being strictly enforced. 

 
Crimes against women cover a range of gender-related crimes, like rape, dowry death, assault with intent to outrage modesty, and cruelty by husband or his relatives.   

|   Year  | Incidence    |   Crime per lakh women  |
|---------|--------------|-------------------------|
|   2016  | 3,38,954     |                    55.2 |
|   2017  | 3,59,849     |                    57.9 |

 
 
Parliament passed the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019 on July 30, 2019, which makes all declaration of talaq, including in written or electronic form, to be void and illegal.84 
To secure equal rights for every sister and daughter in the country, eradication of social evils like 'Triple Talaq' and 'Nikah-Halala' is important. 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' campaign has brought down female foeticide and improved the sex ratio in many districts of the country. 

 
In 2019-20, 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' the scheme was allocated Rs 280 crore.  Note that this is the same as the revised and budget estimate for 2018-19.85  Details of the financial progress of the scheme for the last five years are 
given in Table 19. 

|            | 2015-16    | 2016-17    | 2017-18    | 2018-19    | 2019-20    |
|------------|------------|------------|------------|------------|------------|
| Allocated  | 75         | 43         | 200        | 280        | 280        |
| Released   | 59         | 29         | 169        | 245        | 34         |
| % Released | 79%        | 67%        | 85%        | 88%        | 12%        |

Note: The data for 2019-20 is updated till December 9, 2019. 

## Health

 
Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana scheme has been allocated Rs 6,400 crore in 2019-20.88  As of November 2019, 13.6 crore beneficiary families are covered under the scheme.89 
The Ayushman Bharat Scheme has been implemented to provide health insurance to 50 crore poor persons.  As of June, 2019, 26 lakh patients had availed treatments under this scheme. 

 
As of November 2019, 54.85 lakh claims have been made under the scheme and the amount of claim raised is Rs 7,609 crore.   
Target to set up about 1.5 lakh 'Health and Wellness Centres' in all rural areas by 2022.  As of 2019, about 18,000 such Centres have been operationalised. 

 
In 2019-20, Health and Wellness Centres were allocated Rs 1,600 crore.  This was an increase of 33% from the revised estimates of 2018-19.88  As of November 2019, there are 24,070 operational Health and Wellness Centres across the country.90   

## Water And Environment

To address the challenges posed by air pollution, the National Clean Air Programme has been started in 102 cities. 

 
The National Clean Air Programme was launched in January, 2019 to set national level targets of reducing PM2.5 and PM10 by 20-30%, by 2024 (as compared to 2017 levels).91  The programme enables Central Pollution Control Board to identify non-attainment cities, i.e. cities that do not comply with the notified the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.   
 
It identified 102 non-attainment cities where the ambient air quality crossed the prescribed standards continuously during the period 2011-15.92  It observed that in most of these cities, PM10 levels exceed the prescribed standards.93 Further, as per the ambient air pollution database released by World Health Organisation in 2018, 14 Indian cities are among the 20 most polluted cities of the world, when ranked on the basis of their PM2.5 levels.94   
 
In 2019, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change allocated Rs 10 crore each for 28 cities with population more than 10 lakh and PM10 level over 90µg/m³.95   
The Ministry of Jalshakti has been created to work towards water conservation. 

 
Ministry of Jal Shakti was created in June, 2019 with two departments: (i) Drinking Water and Sanitation, and (ii) Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.96  Table 20 shows the allocations to the Ministry in the Union Budget over the last three years.   

Budgeted  
Department 
Actuals 
(17-18) 
Revised 
(18-19) 
(19-20) 
% change 
(Revised to 
Budgeted) 
 
Water Resources 
5,313 
7,613 
8,245 
8.3% 
 
Drinking water 
23,939 
19,993 
20,016 
0.1% 
Total 
29,252 
27,606 
28,261 
2.4% 
 

Note: RE is Revised Estimate; BE is budget Estimate 

 
Table 21 shows the allocations to the Namami Gange scheme over the last three years.   
River Ganga will flow uninterrupted and pollution free by 2022. Under the 'Namami Gange' scheme, government will accelerate the campaign for closure of drains releasing effluents in the river Ganga. 

Budgeted 
Budgeted  
Scheme 
Actuals 
(17-18) 
(18-19) 
Revised 
(18-19) 
(19-20) 
Namami Gange  
700 
2,300 
750 
750 
 

Forest and tree cover has increased by more than 1%.  Further, protected areas in the country have also increased from 692 to 868. 

 
There has been an increase of 0.6% of forest cover, and 1.3% of tree cover in 2019 compared to the previous assessment in 2017.99 

## Science And Technology

The government seeks to launch Chandrayaan 2, which will be India's first aircraft to reach the moon. 

 
Chandrayaan-2 was successfully launched into an earth orbit on 22 July, 2019 and entered the moon orbit but failed to make a soft-landing.100  It is India's second mission to the moon, after Chandrayaan-1 in 2008.100  Approved cost (excluding launch cost) for the project was Rs 603 crore.101 
 
The total fund requirement for the Gaganyaan Programme is about Rs 10,000 crore.102 
By 2022, it also aims to send the first Indian to space under 'Gaganyaan'. 

 
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Analysis of President's Speech 2019