Budget 2013: Loose change for green change

NEW DELHI: Finance minister P Chidambaram batted for sustainable development repeatedly in his speech, marking the arrival of the phrase in mainstream political and economic lexicon. But he backed it up with only loose change for environment and green technologies sector, though he offered some new provisions for urban environment and new energy sources.
Sunita Narain, director general of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said, “The mantra of Budget 2013 is inclusive and sustainable development, says the FM.But the fact is, there is no substance in the Budget which tells us how the directions of growth will be environmentally sound.” The minister promised economic instruments such as viability gap funding and low-interest loans for civic bodies that implement projects which turn waste into energy. In parallel, he extended the benefits of the Rashtriya Swasthiya Bima Yojana to ragpickers.
The Budget allocated Rs 1,400 crore to set up water-purification plants for arsenic and fluoride-affected areas.
It also provides some sops for new energy sources. The yet underutilized National Clean Energy Fund would be mobilized in the new fiscal to provide low-interest bearing funds to the Indian Renewable Energy Development Authority to power viable renewable energy projects.
Union Budget 2013
Budget news 2013
Economic Survey