UNION BUDGET 2016-17: HIGHLIGHTS
Affirming that the economy is right on track, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented the Union Budget for 2016-17. Citing that the CPI inflation has come down to 5.4% from 9 plus, he said it is huge relief for the public.We are providing you the Budget highlights and it will help you learn the schemes and the changes launched by the union government.
Highlights of the Union Budget
Tax
- Infrastructure and agriculture cess to be levied.
- Excise duty raised from 10 to 15 per cent on tobacco products other than beedis
- 1 per cent service charge on purchase of luxury cars over Rs. 10 lakh and in-cash purchase of goods and services over Rs. 2 lakh.
- 0.5 per cent Krishi Kalyan Cess to be levied on all services.
- Pollution cess of 1 per cent on small petrol, LPG and CNG cars; 2.5 per cent on diesel cars of certain specifications; 4 per cent on higher-end models.
- Dividend in excess of Rs. 10 lakh per annum to be taxed at additional 10 per cent.
- SUVs, Luxury cars to be more expensive. 4% high capacity tax for SUVs.
- Companies with revenue less than Rs 5 crore to be taxed at 29% plus surcharge
- Limited tax compliance window from Jun 1 – Sep 30 for declaring undisclosed income at 45% incl. surcharge and penalties
- Excise 1 per cent imposed on articles of jewellery, excluding silver.
Social
- Rs. 38,500 crore for Mahtma Gandhi MGNREGA for 2016-17
- Swacch Bharat Abhiyan allocated Rs.9,500 crores.
- Hub to support SC/ST
entrpreneurs - Government is launching a new initiative to provide cooking gas to BPL families with state support.
- LPG connections to be provided under the name of women members of family: Rs 2000 crore allocated for 5 years for BPL families.
- 2.87 lakh crore grants to gram panchayats and municipalities – a quantum jump of 228%.
- 300 urban clusters to be set up under Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission
- Four schemes for animal welfare.
Education, Skills and Job Creation
- 62 new Navodaya Vidyalayas will be opened
- Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan to increasing focus on quality of education
- Regulatory architecture to be provided to ten public and ten private institutions to emerge as world-class Teaching and Research Institutions
- Higher Education Financing Agency to be set-up with initial capital base of ` 1000 Crores
- Digital Depository for School Leaving Certificates, College Degrees, Academic Awards and Mark sheets to be set-up.
Financial Sector Reforms
- A comprehensive Code on Resolution of Financial Firms to be introduced.
- Statutory basis for a Monetary Policy framework and a Monetary Policy Committee through the Finance Bill 2016.
- A Financial DataManagement Centre to be set up.
- RBI to facilitate retail participation in Government securities.
- New derivative products will be developed by SEBI in the Commodity Derivatives market.
- Amendments in the SARFAESI Act 2002 to enable the sponsor of an ARC to hold up to 100% stake in the ARC and permit non institutional investors to invest in Securitization Receipts.
- Comprehensive Central Legislation to be bought to deal with the menace ofillicit deposit taking schemes.
- Increasing members and benches of the Securities Appellate Tribunal.
- Allocation of ` 25,000 crore towards recapitalisation of Public Sector Banks.
- Target of amount sanctioned under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana increased to ` 1,80,000 crore.
- General Insurance Companies owned by the Government to be listed in the stock exchanges.
Health
- 2.2 lakh renal patients added every year in India. Basic dialysis equipment gets some relief.
- A new health protection scheme for health cover upto 1 lakh per family.
- PM Jan Aushadhi Yojana to be strengthened, 300 generic drug store to be opened National Dialysis Service Prog with funds thru PPP mode to provide dialysis at all district hospitals.
- Senior citizens will get additional healthcare cover of Rs 30,000 under the new scheme
Energy
- Rs. 3000 crore earmarked for nuclear power generation
- Govt drawing comprehensive plan to be implemented in next 15-20 years for exploiting nuclear energy
- Govt to provide incentive for deepwater gas exploration
- Deepwater gas new disc to get calibrated market freedom, pre-determined ceiling price based on landed price of alternate fuels.
Agriculture
- Total allocation for agriculture and farmer welfare at Rs 35984 crores
- 28.5 lakh heactares of land wil be brought under irrigation.
- 5 lakh acres to be brought under organic farming over a three year period
- Rs 60,000 crore for recharging of ground water recharging as there is urgent need to focus on drought hit areas cluster development for water conservation.
- Dedicated irrigation fund in NABARD of Rs.20.000 cr
- Nominal premium and highest ever compensation in case of crop loss under the PM Fasal Bima Yojna.
Banking
- Banks get a big boost: Rs 25,000 crore towards recapitalisation of public sector banks. Jaitley says: Banking Board Bureau will be operationalised, we stand solidly behind public sector banks.
- Target of disbursement under MUDRA increased to 1,80,000 crore
- Process of transfer of government stake in IDBI Bank below 50% started
- General Insurance companies will be listed in the stock exchange
- Govt to increase ATMs, micro-ATMs in post offices in next three years
Investments and infrastructure
- Rs. 27,000 crore to be spent on roadways
- 65 eligible habitats to be connected via 2.23 lakh kms of road. Current construction pace is 100 kms/day
- Shops to be given option to remain open all seven days in a week across markets.
- Rs. 55,000 crore for roads and highways. Total allocation for road construction, including PMGSY, – Rs 97,000 crore
- India’s highest-ever production of motor vehicles was recorded in 2015
- Total outlay for infrastructure in Budget 2016 now stands at Rs. 2,21,246 crore
- 100 per cent FDI in marketing of food products produced and marketed in India
- Dept. of Disinvestment to be renamed as Dept. of Investment and Public Asset Management
- Govt will amend Motor Vehicle Act in passenger vehicle segment to allow innovation.
- MAT will be applicable for startups that qualify for 100 per cent tax exemption
- Direct tax proposals result in revenue loss of Rs.1060 crore, indirect tax proposals result in gain of Rs.20,670 crore
- New greenfield ports to be developed on east and west coasts
- Revival of undeserved airports. Centre to Partner with States to revive small airports for regional connectivity
Roadmap & Priorities
- ‘Transform India’ to have a significant impact on economy and lives of people.
- Focus on enhancing expenditure in priority areas of – farm and rural sector, social sector, infrastructure sector employment generation and recapitalisation of the banks.
- Continue with the ongoing reform programme and ensure passage of the Goods and Service Tax bill and Insolvency and Bankruptcy law.
Rural Sector
- Allocation for rural sector – ` 87,765 crore.
- 2.87 lakh crore will be given as Grant in Aid to Gram Panchayats and Municipalities as per the recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission
- Every block under drought and rural distress will be taken up as an intensive Block under the Deen Dayal Antyodaya Mission
- A sum of ` 38,500 crore allocated for MGNREGS.
- 300 Rurban Clusters will be developed under the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Rurban Mission
- A new Digital Literacy Mission Scheme for rural India to cover around 6 crore additional household within the next 3 years.
- National Land Record Modernisation Programme has been revamped.
- New scheme Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan proposed with allocation of ` 655 crore
- 100% village electrification by 1st May, 2018.
- District Level Committees under Chairmanship of senior most Lok Sabha MP from the district for monitoring and implementation of designated Central Sector and Centrally Sponsored Schemes.
- Priority allocation from Centrally Sponsored Schemes to be made to reward villages that have become free from open defecation.
