Decoding the Budget

Updated : Feb 1, 2017

Budget 2017: Affordable housing and MSMEs get much-needed fillip

The Union budget is getting to be hailed for a bunch of measures announced to provide a much-needed boost to the affordable housing and the MSME (Micro Small and Medium Enterprises) sectors and from that perspective advancing the government's financial inclusion agenda.

Updated : Mar 15, 2016

Back on Track

The budget's sharp focus on infrastructure has resulted in roads and railways getting the lion's share of roughly Rs 2.18 lakh cr, including Rs 19,000 cr for rural roads under PM Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY). This is approximately Rs 40,000 cr more than last year.

Updated : Mar 12, 2016

A Budget for Bharat

Sure enough, the government's intent to revive the ailing rural and agro sectors to prop up domestic economic growth hit the right chords with the pundits, but soon, serious doubts were raised over the Centre's ability to implement its plans.

Updated : Mar 11, 2016

About to Swoop

Vulture funds - or funds specifically focused on distressed assets - aren't new to India, having been in the country since 2000/01, but the regulatory hurdle of not being permitted to repatriate funds saw many lose interest.

Updated : Mar 9, 2016

Can He Walk the Talk?

Arun Jaitley has shown the right intent by focusing on the rural economy in his Budget, but appears to have failed to outline a clear roadmap for delivering on his promises.

Updated : Mar 9, 2016

Budget 2016

The finance minister appears to have done an admirable job with limited resources, but a closer reading of the revenue estimates and expenditure plans has experts worried.

Updated : Mar 2, 2016

Higher Education: Good start but concerns are we may be barking up the wrong tree

Ashish Nanda, the director of IIMA says, "The Union Budget identifies education as one of the key pillars on which its transformation agenda is built. The budget offers support to education in three dimensions."

Updated : Mar 1, 2016

Lazy speech writing puts Jaitley in a tight spot on EPF

It has been more than 24 hours since Arun Jaitley presented his annual fiscal budget 2016 but the confusion over his controversial attempt at taxing returns from Employees Provident Fund has only intensified.

Updated : Mar 1, 2016

Government expects to collect Rs 8,000 crore from two new cesses

The cess would be used exclusively for financing initiatives relating to improvement of agriculture and welfare of farmers. The cess would come into force from 1 June 2016.

Updated : Mar 1, 2016

Budget mixed bag for IT, start-ups: Nasscom

The union budget for 2016-17 was a mixed bag for the Indian IT industry and start-ups, as its proposals were less than expected with caveats, the industry's apex body Nasscom said on Monday.

Updated : Mar 1, 2016

Budget 2016: The middle class has reasons to show discontent

Some voices from the government sought to assuage the feelings of the middle class on Monday when they said taxation on EPF withdrawal would not be in retrospect.

Updated : Mar 1, 2016

Budget 2016: Allocation to education sector aims at churning out more John Nashes

The move to set up world-class teaching institutions comes in wake of the ongoing controversy over some Jawaharlal Nehru University students facing charges of sedition.

Updated : Feb 29, 2016

Budget 2016 provides some relief to real estate sector

The industry that has been in doldrums for long, facing protracted slump has been looking for some incentives to beat the downturn and banking on the government's ambitious 'Housing for All' scheme by 2022.

Updated : Feb 29, 2016

Jaitley's amnesty scheme is not like Chidambaram's VDIS in 1997

In the backdrop of a failed attempt at bringing back truck loads of black money stashed abroad through a voluntary disclosure scheme last year, you can't be blamed if you think finance minister's Arun Jaitley's latest bid to lure domestic tax payers into straightening up their accounts through a four month compliance window is a desperate measure.

Updated : Feb 29, 2016

Budget a disappointment for the auto industry

The industry that was expecting some incentives like fleet modernisation to spur demand, though, remains a disappointed lot.

Updated : Feb 29, 2016

Union Budget 2016-17: Branded food and beverages to get a boost

This move will not only incentivise global biggies to make and sell in India, but will also see the emergence of more regional food brands.

Updated : Feb 29, 2016

Union Budget 2016-17: What's for Make in India?

The government's proposals will incentivize domestic manufacturing and value addition in a range of electronic products, including set top boxes, broadband modems, CCTV cameras, and mobile phones. All of these are high growth electronic products - CCTV cameras, for instance, are an integral part of smart cities.

Updated : Feb 29, 2016

Budget 2016: What's in it for the IT industry?

Widespread digitization. Too early to tell if these would result in business for the IT industry. But the proposed include expansion in the scope of e-assessments, modernisation of land records (the revamped programme will build an integrated land information management system. 

Updated : Feb 29, 2016

Union Budget 2016-17: No 'Bank Bank', but the war continues

FM Arun Jaitley has opened the door for ARCs to strengthen their capital by hiking the sponsor's stake in ARCs from a maximum of 50 per cent to 100 per cent.

Updated : Feb 29, 2016

Budget 2016: 9% tax rate regime for India's first International Financial Centre

The long pending tax issue has been decided with 9 per cent minimum alternate tax (MAT), which is a big reduction from the existing 18.5 per cent.

Updated : Feb 29, 2016

No Veto for RBI Governor

"All questions which come up before  any meeting of the monetary policy committee shall be decided by a majority  of votes by the members  present  and voting, and in the event of an equality of votes , the Governor shall have a second or casting vote,"  states the Union Budget 2016/17.