Highlights of Union Budget 2008-09, India
Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram presented his fifth Budget in Parliament on Friday. Following are the highlights:
Highlights:
- NREGA scheme to be rolled out in all the 596 rural districts in the country in 2008-09.
- Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission to get Rs 6,865 crore this year against Rs 5,482 crore past year.
- Allocation for Rajiv Gandhi Drinking Water Mission to be increased to Rs 7,300 crore. Rs 200 crore for potable water in schools.
- Rs 300 crore to be set aside for desalination plant in Chennai for drinking water.
- Rs 500 crore for identifying urgent needs of development programmes of border areas like Arunachal Pradesh.
- SC, ST and minority students to continue to get special attention.
- Allocation for several schemes in North East raised from Rs 14,365 crore to Rs 16,400 crore.
- Rs 75 crore sanctioned for Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship Programme for SC/ST students pursuing M.Phil.
- Rs 230 crore will be extended as additional equity to developmental organisations looking after the welfare of SC,
- ST, socially and economically backward classes and minorities.
- Allocation for Minority Affairs Ministry to be doubled from Rs 500 crore to Rs 1,000 crore.
- Rs 540 crore for multi-sectoral development plan for minority concentration districts.
- 288 public sector bank branches to be opened in districts having minority community concentration.
- Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan will be provided Rs 13,100 crore, Mid Day Meal scheme Rs 8,000 crore, Secondary education Scheme Rs 4,554 crore.
- 410 additional Kasturba Gandhi Vidyalaya to be set up in backward blocks.
- Navodaya Vidyalayas to be opened in 20 districts with special focus on regions having SC/ST concentration.
- Allocation of Rs 130 crore for this purpose. Rs.750 crore more to be given for merit scholarship to students up to 10th and 12th class.
- Mid day Meal scheme extended to upper primary level in 3479 schools. 16 central universities to be opened in 2008-09.
- Three IITs to be set up in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan.
- Schools of architecture and planning in Bhopal and Vijaywada. More institutes of higher education to be opened.
- Rs 100 crore to be given to Information Technology Ministry to set up national knowledge centres.
- Allocation for NRHM increased to Rs 12,050 crore
- Rs 992 crore for national AIDS programme.
- A national programme for the elderly to be started at a cost of Rs. 400 crore.
- Rashtra Swasthya Beema Yojana to start from April one in Delhi and Haryana. Rs 30,000 for each family belonging to unorganised sector.
- Allocation for ICDS increased to Rs 6300 crore.
- Rs 85 crore sanctioned for scholarships to students pursuing science education.
- Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research to be set up at Bhopal and Thiruvananthapuram.
- Agriculture credit doubled in the first two years of the government to reach Rs.2.40 lakh crore by March 2008.
- Eleventh Plan started on a robust growth.
- Gross budgetary support to be raised to Rs 2,43,386 crore, an increase of more than Rs 38,000 crore from the current level.
- Allocation for Bharat Nirman to be raised to Rs 31,280 crore.
- Twenty per cent hike in education budget this year from Rs 28,674 crore to Rs 34,400 crore.
- GDP growth slows down to 8.4 per cent during quarter ended December 31, 2007 as compared to 9.1 per cent a year ago.
- Economy grew over eight per cent over 12 successive quarters since 2005, says Finance Minister P Chidambaram.
- Growth rate of agricultre extimated at 2.6 per cent during the current year.
- Services and manufacturing sectors expected to grow by 10.7 per cent and 9.4 per cent, says Chidambaram.
- Keeping inflation under check is one of the cornerstones of the Government’s policy.
- Rice production estimiated at 94.08 million tonnes, maize 16.78 mt, soyabean 9.45 mt and cotton 23.38 million bales.
Source & Courtesy: Rediff
February 29, 2008 11:45 IST
Changes in I-T slab.