Growth oriented budget, says Vedanta Group Chairman Anil Agarwal

Noted industrialist and Vedanta Group Chairman Anil Agarwal on Sunday said the budget presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is growth oriented with a clear focus on increasing public capital expenditure. ''It is a budget which creates opportunities for youth to improve their livelihoods, women to become financially independent and for employment intensive sectors like medical tourism to take off,'' he said. ''I welcome the government's keen attention to critical minerals and rare earths. The Rare Earths Corridors for mining, processing, R&D and manufacturing in Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala will boost growth, employment and mineral security. Import duty exemption on capital goods for critical minerals processing is very timely in the current global scenario,'' he said in a statement. ''I congratulate the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) and the Finance Minister (Nirmala Sitharaman) for continuing to steer the Indian economy with a very steady hand in uncertain times,'' he added.