Sitharaman also announced allocations to inter-link the Ken-Betwa rivers at a cost of Rs44,605 crore. This project is opposed by environmentalists and youth groups because of the massive destruction it will cause to the environment
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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget speech announced Climate Action as one of four priority sectors, though this prioritisation was not evident as the speech progressed. It mentioned Climate Action only briefly and did not make any budgetary allocation to support it.
Crucially, the thrust of the Budget announcements were towards urbanisation and polluting infrastructure-building. They included an initial allocation of Rs1,500 crore for development of the Northeast which houses some of our most critical biodiversity hotspots, and a Vibrant Village Programme which centres on construction and tourist facilities in remote villages.