India's finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, announced on Thursday that through roof-top solarisation, 1 crore households will be enabled to obtain up to 300 units of free electricity every monthThe announcement is a major relief to millions of Indians who are struggling to afford rising electricity costs. It is also a political move ahead of the upcoming general elections.
In addition to providing free electricity, the government also announced a number of other initiatives to help the poor and middle class. These include:
- Providing incentives for mustard and groundnut cultivation
- Investing in modern storage and supply chains for agriculture
- Building 517 new air routes under the UDAN scheme to connect smaller cities
- The government also said that it has lifted 250 million people out of poverty in the past 10 years and provided free food to 800 million people.