Infrastructure Development POV:Mr. Jayanth Murthy, Joint Managing Director Kaizen Institute – India, South Asia and Africa
“It has been heartening to witness the government’s continued ‘push’ on infrastructure development, with an increase in the outlay for the next year by 11.1%, accounting for 3.4% of the GDP. The government’s consistent focus and consistency in this domain will play a key role in boosting the CapEx cycle. Further, with an increase in the activities within the sector, we are also likely to witness an increasing demand in the metal, mining and cement sectors – generating more employment opportunities. As we plan these infrastructure projects, it will be beneficial to explore ‘efficiency’ as a key parameter in terms delivery of projects, including resource utilization, as cost-and-time overruns in large infra projects continue to be a challenge.”  

Logistics Industry POV:  Mr. Jayanth Murthy, Joint Managing Director Kaizen Institute – India, South Asia and Africa
“While India has made significant progress when it comes to improving the efficiency of its logistics – jumping from the 44th to the 38th position in the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index (LPI), the high cost of logistics, amounting to 13-14% of the country’s GDP, has long been a challenge. Further, an over-dependence on roadways has also led to a severe impact on the logistics management in India. In this regard, it is encouraging to witness the announcement of three major economic railway corridors under the PM Gati Shakti for enabling multi-modal connectivity. It is especially heartening to see that the freight corridor is being more streamlined – with energy, mineral and cement corridors (which is aligned to the coal logistics policy 2022), port connectivity corridors, and high traffic density corridors being announced. These projects will indeed, improve logistical efficiency and ensure cost reduction.”

Metals & Mining Industry (Stainless Steel): Mr. Anubhav Kathuria, Director, Synergy Steels“I see certain key factors in this budget. While the Hon’ble FM did not provide import duties-related measures, which the stainless steel industry will eagerly look for in the full-budget due later, key policy announcements, including two crore more houses under the PM-Awas Grameen yojana, a new housing scheme for the middle-class, as well as the conversion of 40 thousand railway bogies to Vande-Bharat standards is expected to contribute to demand for various stainless steel products in the medium-to-long term.
“The Government’s announcement for the conversion of 40 thousand Railway bogies to Vande-Bharat standards is a positive-step towards the upgradation of the railways. In this regard, we expect stainless steel to be looked upon as the metal of preference. Stainless steel coaches comparatively enable a host of benefits, including energy-efficiency due to weight-reduction, strength of rakes, and corrosion-resistance in context of coastal routes etc. Furthermore, the domestic availability and environmental friendliness of the alloy are further added benefits.”

Education & Nutrition POV: Ms. Archana Sinha, Co-founder & CEO, Nourishing School Foundation”The Interim Budget for FY2024-25 significantly highlights the importance of nutrition to all through an array of initiatives. The upgradation of Anganwadi centres under Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 is a welcomed initiative which will enhance the delivery of nutritious meals across the country. However, it is crucial to note that despite such fervent efforts to promote nutrition, there remains a lack of understanding regarding the importance of nutrition – according to a survey, over 85% of Indians are unaware of vegetarian sources of protein. Additionally, the National Family Health Survey indicates that India still faces a double burden of malnutrition in both urban and rural areas – through the coexistence of undernourishment with the prevalence of overweight/obesity in the population. 
While there are several efforts underway to ensure accessible and affordable nutrition to all, it becomes all the more pivotal to improve nutrition education across the country to not only enhance self-sufficiency but also reduce India’s burden of non-communicable diseases among the future generations of India’s young adults and workforce.”

Health POV: Dr. Sachin Shah, Director Neonatology & Pediatric Intensive Care Services, Surya Mother and Child Super Speciality Hospital, Pune
“The much-awaited Interim Budget or the vote on account highlighted several significant developments that have been undertaken by the current government over the past decade. The announcement of the Central Government to integrate various schemes for maternal and childcare under one comprehensive programme would facilitate robust synergy in its implementation and is a laudable effort to provide a more structured and cohesive approach to the host of programmess we have been driving so far. According to the National Family Health Survey- 5 (2019-21), India’s infant mortality rate still accounts for over 27 deaths per 1000 live births, while the maternal mortality rate stands at 52 deaths per 1 lakh live births. With this in consideration, such a comprehensive program is the need of the hour.
While it is heartening to see the existing and the proposed developments planned for improving maternal and child healthcare, it is crucial to further expound on universal affordability and accessibility of quality healthcare to women and children to every nook and corner of the country. The healthcare industry anticipates a further 2.5% to 3% increase (from the existing 2.1% during FY2022-23) in the budgetary allocation in the upcoming Union Budget, declared to be presented by July 2024, to effectively incentivize the industry.”