Rural, agriculture and allied sectors get top priority. The allocations are tilted towards schemes and projects that have already been prioritised.

After paying tribute to the parliamentarian and former Union minister E Ahamed, finance minister Arun Jaitley tables the Union Budget 2017 as scheduled. Catch all the live updates here.

The latest initiatives of the railways, which has already undertaken a series of changes in its policy and structure, come at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been laying emphasis on reforms.

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.

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.

The nine pillars laid down in the budget provide a holistic approach for bringing about a socio-economic transformation while reinvigorating the infrastructure sector through PPP.

Railways failed to meet Prabhu's target of last year to collect revenues of Rs 141,416.05 crore and achieved only Rs 136,079.26 crore. How will he match this year?

According to senior officials, the Railways is expected to fall short of the 1,195 million tonnes (MT) of freight target fixed for 2015-16 by 75-80 MT.

It is welcome to note that the budget proposes to set up a National Investment and Infrastructure Fund which will get Rs 20,000 crore equity from the government.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday presented his maiden full-year Budget for the 2015-16 financial year in the Lok Sabha. Read the full text of his speech here:

The massive jump in allocation for electrification has huge cost-saving implications as electric traction is 40 per cent cheaper than diesel traction.

The priority for undertaking projects has been determined by a designated committee for capacity enhancement, revenue generation and decongestion.

In an exclusive interview with Business Today, RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan talks about monetary policy, Indian economy, inflation and more.

The Budget outlay for defence too is up 12.4 per cent over 2013/14 to Rs 229,000 crore.

Amid constant interruptions by some members, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram presented the interim budget for 2014-15 in the Lok Sabha.

Despite the growing threat, India spends a miniscule amount on cyber securit .

Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi proposed marginal hike in passenger fares - 2 paisa per km for suburban trains; 3 paisa per km for mail and express trains.FULL COVERAGE

The Budget may have shaken the markets, but you can still pick some gems from the infrastructure, FMCG, auto and pharmaceutical sectors.

Revenue inflows are unlikely to jump soon, unless taxes are upped. So, let’s rule out easing of tax rates, though there might be some sops for individuals, like a hike in deductibles for home loans or tax-exempt bank deposits.

Consider taking up the construction of dedicated freight corridors on these routes (about 11,500 km double line; approximate cost Rs 1,50,000 crore) as a national project funded by the Government of India, to be completed in 10 years.