Budget 2020: DPIIT seeks more funds to boost infrastructure in hinterland

The government had severely cut down on expenditure in this area, with the 2019-20 (FY20) Budget providing Rs 909 crore, down from the RE of Rs 1,707 crore in the earlier one.

A year after its Budget allocation was slashed, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has argued for bigger funds in the upcoming Union Budget as it plans to boost industrial development in backward areas.

The department got Rs 5,674.51 crore for 2019-20, from the Revised Estimate (RE) of Rs 6,140.23 crore in 2018-19. Allocations have been volatile over the past five years, rising or falling almost every alternate year. But after focusing on issues like e-commerce, retail, and initiatives like the ease of doing business and Startup India, the DPIIT plans to return to its core