Highlights of the Union Budget for 2018-19

Highlights of the Union Budget for 2018-19 (Apr-Mar), presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Parliament today:

MACROECONOMY MATTERS
* Govt has implemented fundamental structural reforms
* India stands out as the fastest growing economy in world
* Promised to reduce poverty, build strong India
* Direct transfer mechanism is a global success story
* Will focus on health, infrastructure, senior citizens
* Focus on 'ease of living' for common man
* To move ahead on ease-of-doing business
* This Budget to consolidate gains of last 4 years' budgets
* Demonetisation has reduced cash in circulation
* Recapitalised banks have better capacity to support growth
* Indirect tax system made simpler with GST
* FDI increased due to govt actions
* Manufacturing sector back on growth path
* There's a premium on honesty because of govt's reforms
* Firmly on course to achieve 8% plus growth
* India to become fifth largest economy very soon
* India a $2.5-trln economy now
* Achieved average 7.5% growth in first 3 years of govt

AGRICULTURE
* FY19 Budget aims to strengthen agri, rural economy
* Seek paradigm shift to double farmers' income by 2022
* Govt committed to welfare of farmers
* Govt to create mechanism for post harvest facilities
* MSP hikes not enough, farmers must be able to get benefits
* Next kharif crop MSP to be at least 1.5 times of cost
* Emphasis on generating gainful farm, non-farm jobs
* Focus on low-cost farming, higher selling price
* Institutional system for farm goods price, demand forecast
* NITI Aayog to make robust system for fair price to farmers
* Export of farm commodities to be liberalised
* Agri export potential $100 bln
* To launch Operation Green in line with Operation Flood
* Allocate 5 bln rupees for Operation Green
* Allocation for food processing sector 14 bln rupees FY19
* Allocate 2 bln rupees for medicinal, aromatic crops
* To encourage women self-help groups for organic farming
* Cluster-based models to be developed for horticulture crops
* e-NAM to be exempt from APMC regulations
* To develop, upgrade 22,000 rural haats to agricultural mkts
* To allocate 20 bln rupees for farm development fund
* Favourable tax treatment for farm mfg organisations
* Agri credit target at 11 trln rupees for FY19
* Kisan credit card benefit also to animal husbandry, fishing
* To launch bamboo mission for 12.9 bln rupees
* 470 APMCs connected to e-NAM, rest to be connected by Mar
* To set up 42 mega food parks for farm exports

FY18 REVISED
* Hope to grow 7.2-7.5% in H2 FY18
* Exports expected to grow 15% in FY18

POLICY STEPS
* 100 bln rupees for animal husbandry, fisheries develop fund
* To set up 2 new funds of total 100 bln rupees for fishery
* Online loan facility for MSMEs to be revamped
* To address bad loan problems of MSMEs
* 37.94 bln rupees for MSME credit support
* Job creation core of policy planning
* To take steps for improving start-up funding environment
* PSUs to be part of e-trade receivables platform
* To link e-trade receivables platform with GSTN
* To review refinancing policies under MUDRA plan
* To give 40 mln power connections under Saubhagya Yojana
* 3 trln rupees lending target for MUDRA plan FY19
* Smart City scheme outlay 2.04 trln rupees

SOCIAL SECTOR
* To set up dedicated affordable housing fund under NHB
* Aim 5.1 mln rural houses under affordable housing plan
* Aim to give houses to all poor by 2022
* Aim to build 20 mln more toilets under Swachh Bharat
* More than 60 mln toilets built under Swachh Bharat plan
* To give 80 mln LPG connections under Ujjwala scheme
* To spend 1 trln rupees on education infra over 4 years
* To subsidise removal of crop residue to tackle pollution
* To set up Ekalavya schools for scheduled tribes
* To treat education holistically pre-nursery to class 12
* To move from blackboard to digital board
* Allocate 99.75 bln rupees for social security plan FY19
* Allocation to Natl Livelihood Mission 57.50 bln rupees
* Allocate 14.3 trln rupees for rural infra FY19
* Allocate 26 bln rupees under ground water irrigation plan
* Health protection scheme to cover 100 mln poor families
* Allocate 12 bln rupees for health wellness centres
* To launch PM research fellow plan for 1,000 BTech students
* To set up 2 new schools of planning & architecture
* 600 mln Jan Dhan accts to get micro insurance benefit
* 24 new medical colleges to be set up via hospital upgrade
* Aim 1 medical college for every 3 Parliament constituency
* 6-bln-rupee nutritional support for Tuberculosis patients
* Govt progressing towards universal health coverage
* Health scheme to have 500,000 rupee/family/yr benefit
* Allocate 566.2 bln rupees for Scheduled Castes welfare
* Cover all poor family in PM insurance plan in mission mode
* 187 projects sanctioned under Ganga cleaning programme
* Allocate 391.35 bln rupees for welfare of Scheduled Tribes
* Govt women employees to contribute 8% to EPF in first 3 yrs

MISCELLANEOUS
* Special scheme to fight pollution in Delhi-NCR
* To develop 10 places as iconic tourism destinations
* To construct tunnel under Sela Pass

INDUSTRY, INFRASTRUCTURE
* To allocate 71.5 bln rupees to textiles sector FY19

Highlights of Union Budget 2018

* Current Indian economy is of 2.5 trillion USD

* GDP  for year 2018-19 to be seen At 7.4%

* Growth to be seen from 8% to 15%

* Fiscal Deficit 3.5% of GDP (17-18 ) and taget 3.3% (18-19)

* MSEM's turnover up to Rs.250crs tax slab will be 25%

* No changes in Personal Income Tax structure

* Rs.40000 Standard deduction to salaried taxpayers😁😁

* Sr. Citizen income from interest non TDS limit increase from Rs.10000 to Rs.50000😁

* 80D limits for Sr.citizen increases from Rs.30000 to Rs.50000 (mediclaim) 😁

* Disinvrstments targets are Rs.80000 crs for FY 18-19 😁😁

* LTCG on equity 10% applicable on above 1 lac investments 😞😞

10% Dividend distribution tax on dividends from Equity mutual funds

* 10000 Crs allocation for Fishiers , Aquaculture

* Exports to grow at 15%

* Double Farmers income by 2022

* MSP for kharif crops to be 1.5× cost of production

* Help for Affordable homes 51 lac in Rural and 37 lac in Urban areas

* 8cr poor women will be given free GAS connections

* National health protection scheme for 10cr poor families (Rs.5 lac free health care)

* Allocation of Rs.1000 crs for RISE

* Rs.3794 crs allocation for credit support to MSME's

* Target Mundra loan of 3 lac crs next FY

* Setting 24 new govt medical colleges

* Allocation of Rs.7148 cr to textile sector

* 1400 crs  allocation for food processing sector

* Highway construction target of 9000 kms by year end

* 1.48 lac crs allocation to Railways

* More then 25000 foot falls will have elevators

* Allocation of 17000 crs to Bengluru for Metro Network

* Allocation of 11000crs to Mumbai Railway

* Outlay 2.04 lakh crs for smart cities

* SEBI to mandating large corporates for 25% Debt from market

* Do not consider cryptocurriences as legal tender

* Allocation to Digital India Rs.373 crs

* Proposes extra expenditure on Infra of Rs.5.97 lakh crs