Highlights of the Union budget for 2017-18 presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Parliament on Wednesday, Feb 1 2017:
- Move from a discretionary administration to a policy-based administration
- Hope to resolve all issues regarding GST via consultations
- We are moving from informal to formal economy & the Government is now seen as a trusted custodian of public money
- Effects of demonetisation not expected to spill over to next year
- Firmly believe that GST, demonetisation, built on JAM, will have an epoch-making impact on the lives of our people
- Demonetisation aims to create a new normal, where the GDP would be bigger, cleaner and real
- Highest ever allocation to MGNREGA at Rs 48,000 crore
- Merger of Railway Budget with Budget 2017 a historic step
- Transform, Energize and Clean India – #TECIndia – our agenda for the next year
- Advancement of budget will enable all ministries, departments to operationalize all schemes right from beginning of next fiscal
- Total allocation for rural, agricultural & allied sectors for 2017-18 is a record Rs 1,87,223 crore, up 24 per cent from last year
- Target for agricultural credit in 2017-18 has been fixed at a record Rs 10 lakh crore
- Coverage of Fasal Bima Yojana to go up from 30 per cent of cropped area, to 40 per cent in 2017-18, 50 per cent in 2018-19
- NABARD to set up dedicated micro-irrigation fund to be set to achieve Per Drop More Crop mission Corpus of NABARD’s long-term irrigation fund raised to Rs 40,000 crore
- Mini soil-testing labs in Krishi Vigyan Kendras to ensure 100 per cent coverage
- Sanitation coverage in rural areas has gone up to 60 per cent
- Swachh Bharat Mission has made tremendous progress in promoting safe sanitation and ending open defectation
- By 2019 all passenger coaches of railways to be fitted with bio-toilets
- 1 crore houses to be completed by 2019 for houseless and those living in ‘kacha’ houses
- Rs 19,000 crore in 2017-18 for PMGSY; together with contribution from states, Rs 27,000 crore to be spent
- Net tax revenue grew by 17 per cent in 2015-16
- Committed to making taxation rate reasonable, our tax administration more fair and expand the tax base of the country
- Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana lending target has been doubled at Rs 2.44 lakh crore for 2017-18
- 3,500 km railway lines to be commissioned in 2017-18 against 2,800 km in 2016-17
- Railways plan size for 2017-18 pegged at Rs. 1,31,000 crore, including Rs 55,000 crore to be provided by the government
- Using space technology in a big way to plan MGNREGA works
- AadharPay, a merchant version of Aadhaar-enabled payment system to be launched shortly for those without debit cards, mobile phones
- Five special tourism zones, anchored on SPVs, to be set up; Incredible India II campaign to be launched across the world
- Expert international assistance will be harnessed to improve railway safety preparedness and maintenance practices
- Allocation for infrastructure at record Rs 3,96,135 crore in 2017-18
- National Testing Agency to be established to conduct all entrance exams for higher education
- Innovation Fund for secondary education to be created
- Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras to be extended to more than 600 districts across the country
- Mahila Shakti Kendras to be set up at village level, in 14 lakh ICDS centres, with an allocation of Rs. 500 crore
