Budget allocates Rs.39,000 crore for rural jobs scheme

July 25th, 2009 SHIMLA - The Himachal Pradesh government Saturday demanded a hike in the financial assistance provided to it under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS). "We have urged the central government to provide us an additional grant of Rs.24 crore annually to reimburse the hike in wages under NREGS," state Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Minister Jai Ram Thakur told reporters.

July 7th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A day after the budget for fiscal 2009-10 hiked the outlay for the flagship rural jobs scheme by 144 percent to Rs.39,100 crore, the government Tuesday admitted to huge slips in its implementation with an average of just 48 days of work generated for each beneficiary against the promised 100. "The average (of 100 days work for each rural family) has not been achieved," Rural Development Minister C.P.

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Highlights of the union budget for the current fiscal presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in the Lok Sabha Monday: - No change in corporate tax rate - Income tax exemption limit for senior citizens increased by Rs.15,000, for women and others by 10,000 each - New indirect tax will be introduced in 45 days - Fringe benefit tax abolished - Goods and services tax (GST) will be introduced April 1, 2010 - An alternative dispute settlement mechanism to be set up to settle tax disputes - Lawyers brought under the ambit of service tax - Tax exemption on profits in the natural gas sector extended - Customs duty on LCD TVs reduced to 5 percent from 10 percent - Five percent customs tax imposed on set-top boxes - Rs.500 crore for the rehabilitation of displaced Sri Lankan Tamils and reconstruction activities in that country - Aligarh Muslim University campuses to be set up in Murshidabad in West Bengal and Malappuram in Kerala - Allocation for the minority affairs ministry raised to Rs.1,740 - Plan expenditure up 34 percent, non-plan spend up 37 percent - Total spending increased to Rs.10.2 lakh crore - Rs.420 crore for new IITs and NITs - Commonwealth Games allocated Rs.3,472 crore - National unique identification numbers to start rolling out in 12-18 months - Paramilitary forces such as CRPF to get 100,000 homes - Banking services in under-banked areas to be increased, scheme allocated Rs.100 crore - Agriculture debt waiver extended by six months - Outlay for national rural health mission increased by Rs.2,057 crore from the Rs.12,070 crore provided in the interim budget - Allocation towards National Rural Employment Guarantee Act increased by Rs.39,100 crore - Allocation for Bharat Nirman scheme increased by 45 percent - Rs.20,000 crore for rural housing - Rural electrification scheme to get Rs.7,000 crore more - Tax department to work on early introduction of Saral 2 forms - Stimulus for print media extended from June 13 to Dec 31 - Rs.1,000 crore to accelerate irrigation projects - Agriculture development fund increased from Rs.2.87 lakh crore to Rs.3.25 lakh crore - Market development assistance scheme for exporters increased by 148 percent to Rs.124 crore - Pre-shipment interest subvention set at 2 percent for textile exporters - Sufficient funds for infrastructure development - Allocation for national highways development stepped up by 23 percent - Allocation for urban poor schemes to be raised to Rs.39,730 crore - LNG infrastructure to be expanded - Allocation for Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission raised by 87 percent to Rs.12,887 crore

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), that aims to provide quality healthcare to villagers, Monday saw its budget allocation increased by Rs.2,057 crore ($411 million). Describing the NRHM as an essential instrument for achieving goal of health for all, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in his budget speech proposed an increase of Rs.2,057 crore over and above Rs.

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday said that the provisions for the Scheme 'Mission in Education through ICT' has been substantially increased to Rs. 900 crore. Presenting the Union Budget proposals for the year 2009-10 in Lok Sabha, he said: "Similarly, for establishment and up-gradation for Polytechnics under the Skill Development Mission has been increased to Rs.

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Highlights of the union budget for the current fiscal presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in the Lok Sabha Monday: - Fiscal deficit estimated at 6.8 percent of GDP - National Housing Bank to get Rs.2,000 crore for rural housing funds - Higher education outlay increased by Rs.2,000 crore over interim budget - Geological Survey of India, Botanical and Zoological Survey of India to get Rs.15 crore each. - National River programmes to get Rs.562 crore, up from Rs.335 crore earlier - Rs.1,000 crore for reconstruction activities in the Aila-hit areas in West Bengal - An additional amount of Rs.430 crore allocated to modernise police machinery in states - Rs.190 crore budgetary support for civil aviation - One handloom mega cluster each will be set up in West bengal and Tamil Nadu - One powerloom mega cluster in Rajasthan - At least 50 percent of the total rural women to be brought under the self-help group (SHG) network - Banking network to be expanded to "unbankable" areas -Expert group to be set up to advice on petroleum and diesel prices - No change in corporate tax rate -Centralised processing centre at Bangalore to streamline taxation - Income tax exemption limit for senior citizens increased by Rs.15,000, for women and others by 10,000 each - New indirect tax will be introduced in 45 days - Fringe benefit tax abolished - Duties on life saving drugs reduced - Excise duty on petrol-driven trucks reduced - Goods and services tax (GST) will be introduced April 1, 2010 - An alternative dispute settlement mechanism to be set up to settle tax disputes - Lawyers brought under the ambit of service tax - Tax exemption on profits in the natural gas sector extended - Customs duty on LCD TVs reduced to 5 percent from 10 percent - Five percent customs tax imposed on set-top boxes - Rs.500 crore for the rehabilitation of displaced Sri Lankan Tamils and reconstruction activities in that country - Aligarh Muslim University off-campus centres to be set up in Murshidabad in West Bengal and Malappuram in Kerala - Allocation for the minority affairs ministry raised to Rs.1,740 crore - Plan expenditure up 34 percent, non-plan spend up 37 percent - Total spending increased to Rs.10.2 lakh crore - Rs.420 crore for new IITs and NITs - Commonwealth Games allocated Rs.3,472 crore - National unique identification numbers to start rolling out in 12-18 months - Paramilitary forces such as CRPF to get 100,000 homes - Banking services in under-banked areas to be increased, scheme allocated Rs.100 crore - Agriculture debt waiver extended by six months - Outlay for national rural health mission increased by Rs.2,057 crore from the Rs.12,070 crore provided in the interim budget - Allocation towards National Rural Employment Guarantee Act increased by Rs.39,100 crore - Allocation for Bharat Nirman scheme increased by 45 percent - Rs.20,000 crore for rural housing - Rural electrification scheme to get Rs.7,000 crore more - Tax department to work on early introduction of Saral 2 forms - Stimulus for print media extended from June 13 to Dec 31 - Rs.1,000 crore to accelerate irrigation projects - Agriculture development fund increased from Rs.2.87 lakh crore to Rs.3.25 lakh crore - Market development assistance scheme for exporters increased by 148 percent to Rs.124 crore - Pre-shipment interest subvention set at 2 percent for textile exporters - Sufficient funds for infrastructure development - Allocation for national highways development stepped up by 23 percent - Allocation for urban poor schemes to be raised to Rs.39,730 crore - LNG infrastructure to be expanded - Allocation for Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission raised by 87 percent to Rs.12,887 crore

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government has increased its outlay for rural roads by 57 percent to Rs.12,000 crore ($2.5 billion) in the budget presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Monday in parliament. "Rural roads have been identified as one of the six components of Bharat Nirman with the goal to provide connectivity to all villages with a population of 1,000 (500 in the case of hilly or tribal areas) with an all-weather road by 2009," said a finance ministry statement.

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - In keeping with the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government's inclusive growth mantra, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Monday announced a slew of schemes for the aam aadmi (common man). The major measures announced in his union budget for 2009-10 are: - Allocation towards National Rural Employment Guarantee Act increased by Rs.39,100 crore - Agriculture debt waiver extended by six months - Outlay for national rural health mission increased by Rs.2,057 crore from the Rs.12,070 crore provided in the interim budget - Allocation for Bharat Nirman scheme increased by 45 percent - Rs.20,000 crore for rural housing - Rural electrification scheme to get Rs.7,000 crore more - Agriculture development fund increased from Rs.2.87 lakh crore to Rs.3.25 lakh crore - Allocation for urban poor schemes to be raised to Rs.39,730 crore - LNG infrastructure to be expanded - National Housing Bank to get Rs.2,000 crore for rural housing funds - Higher education outlay increased by Rs.2,000 crore over interim budget - Income tax exemption limit for senior citizens increased by Rs.15,000, for women and others by 10,000 each - Duties on life saving drugs reduced - Allocation for the minority affairs ministry raised to Rs.1,740 crore - Banking services in under-banked areas to be increased, scheme allocated Rs.100 crore - Rs.1,000 crore to accelerate irrigation projects - Allocation for Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission raised by 87 percent to Rs.12,887 crore

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has allocated a whopping Rs.39,100 crore for the Congress-led government's flagship scheme under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), a hefty 144 percent hike over the previous budget estimates. Reiterating the government's commitment to the scheme that promises 100 days of employment to rural youth, the finance minister said in his budget speech Monday that 4.47 crore households were covered under NREGA last year as against 3.39 crore earlier.

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Highlights of the union budget for the current fiscal presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in the Lok Sabha Monday: - Agriculture debt waiver extended by six months - Outlay for national rural health mission increased by Rs.2,057 crore from the Rs.12,070 crore provided in the interim budget - Allocation towards National Rural Employment Guarantee Act increased by Rs.39,100 crore - Allocation for Bharat Nirman scheme increased by 45 percent - Rs.20 billion for rural housing - Rural electrification scheme to get Rs.7,000 crore more - Tax department to work on early introduction of Saral 2 forms - Stimulus for print media extended from June 13 to Dec 31 - Rs.1,000 crore to accelerate irrigation projects - Agriculture development fund increased from Rs.2.87 lakh crore to Rs.3.25 lakh crore - Market development assistance scheme for exporters increased by 148 percent to Rs.124 crore - Pre-shipment interest subvention set at 2 percent for textile exporters - Will make sufficient funds for infrastructure development - Allocation for national highways development stepped up by 23 percent - Allocation for urban poor schemes to be raised to Rs.39,730 crore in 2009-10 - LNG infrastructure to be expanded - Allocation for Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission raised by 87 percent to Rs.12,887 crore

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Highlights of the union budget for the current fiscal presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in the Lok Sabha Monday: - Plan expenditure up 34 percent to Rs.1,025,838 crore, non plan spend up 37 percent - Total spending increased to Rs.10.2 lakh crore - Rs.420 crore for new IITs and NITs - Commonwealth Games allocated Rs.3,472 crore - National unique identification numbers to start rolling out in 12-18 months - Paramilitary forces such as CRPF to get 100,000 homes - Banking services in under-banked areas to be increased, scheme allocated Rs.100 crore - Agriculture debt waiver extended by six months - Outlay for national rural health mission increased by Rs.2,057 crore from the Rs.12,070 crore provided in the interim budget - Allocation towards National Rural Employment Guarantee Act increased by Rs.39,100 crore - Allocation for Bharat Nirman scheme increased by 45 percent - Rs.20 billion for rural housing - Rural electrification scheme to get Rs.7,000 crore more - Tax department to work on early introduction of Saral 2 forms - Stimulus for print media extended from June 13 to Dec 31 - Rs.1,000 crore to accelerate irrigation projects - Agriculture development fund increased from Rs.2.87 lakh crore to Rs.3.25 lakh crore - Market development assistance scheme for exporters increased by 148 percent to Rs.124 crore - Pre-shipment interest subvention set at 2 percent for textile exporters - Sufficient funds for infrastructure development - Allocation for national highways development stepped up by 23 percent - Allocation for urban poor schemes to be raised to Rs.39,730 crore - LNG infrastructure to be expanded - Allocation for Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission raised by 87 percent to Rs.12,887 crore

March 20th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government's common service centre (CSS) initiative will generate around 400,000 direct employment opportunities and as many as indirect jobs in rural India, a top government official said here Thursday. 'The scheme was likely to generate over 400,000 direct jobs opportunities as well as indirect employment avenues of a like number in rural India,' Cabinet Secretary K.M.

February 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government Monday revised the total expenditure estimate in the current fiscal to a little over Rs.9 trillion (Rs.900,953 crore), an increase of Rs.1.5 trillion (Rs.150,069 crore) on account of increased assistance to states, greater sectoral investments and a higher subsidy burden. In the interim budget that he presented in the Lok Sabha, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee hiked the plan expenditure by Rs.395.71 billion (Rs.39,571 crore) to Rs.2.82 trillion (Rs.282,957 crore), against the budgeted estimate of Rs.2.43 trillion (Rs.243,386 crore).

February 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Hours after External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee presented the interim budget for 2009-10, India Inc. said Monday that the budget failed to live up to expectations, but welcomed the higher spending in social and infrastructure sectors, saying it will become the 'main source of demand generation'.

February 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government has allocated Rs.1.31 trillion (Rs.131,317 crore) for its flagship programmes in the coming fiscal. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, while presenting the interim budget for 2009-10 to parliament Monday, said Rs.301 billion (Rs.30,100 crore) would be made available to the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) for the next financial year.