Budget provision for upgrading polytechnics

July 24th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal will inaugurate a one-day meeting of principal secretaries/secretaries of higher education and technical education of State Governments and Union Territories here today. This annual conference has on its agenda different subjects within higher and technical education such as the National Mission of Education through ICT and matters related to polytechnics under coordinated action for skill development.

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - For modernization of police force in the States, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has proposed an additional amount of Rs. 430 crore over and above the provision in the Interim Budget.

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will present the first general budget at 11am today in Lok Sabha. This is the first general budget of the UPA government after coming to power for second term.

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Continuing its thrust on higher education, the union budget 2009-10 Monday proposed to allocate over Rs.21 billion for the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the National Institutes of Technology (NITs). I am allocating Rs.2,113 crore (Rs.21.13 billion) for IITs and NITs, which includes a provision of Rs.

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Keeping its promise to boost higher education in India, the union budget 2009-10 Monday allocated the sector over Rs.40 billion more than the last fiscal, including a package of over Rs.10 billion for the implementation of quota for other backward castes (OBCs). The higher education budget for the current fiscal has been pegged at Rs.15,429 crore (Rs.154.29 billion) including a planned allocation of Rs.9,600 crore.

July 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has proposed an outlay of Rs.40,745 crore for 2009-2010, which is 2840 crore more than the allocation proposed in the interim budget. "Rs. 15, 675 crore will be deployed through internal resources and Rs.9, 170 crore from market borrowings.

July 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, presenting the rail budget for 2009-10 in parliament Friday, said all railway zones have been instructed to ensure availability of 'Janata Khana' - national and regional cuisines - on trains. "National and regional cuisines will be introduced and priority would be given to provision of good quality food, drinking water and toilet facilities and ensure cleanliness on trains and stations," Banerjee said.

July 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived in parliament house Friday morning to present her ministry's budget for this fiscal, promising to address the demands of the average passenger. "My budget will be of the people, by the people and for the people," Banerjee told reporters before leaving for parliament house to present the railway budget in Lok Sabha, the lower house.

July 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that the railway budget would be a "pro-people" budget. "It will be a pro-people budget, a simple budget, people's budget," Banerjee said after an all-party meeting here.

June 25th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's parliament Thursday passed a Rs.2.9 trillion ($36 billion) budget for fiscal 2009-10 focusing on sustainable development, revival of industry and providing relief to the vulnerable and the millions of refugees uprooted by the anti-Taliban offensive in the northwest. The budget, which was presented June 13 by Minister of State for Finance Hina Rabbani Khar, will be effective July 1.

March 18th, 2009 MUMBAI - The Maharashtra government's interim budget for the current year, presented Tuesday, shows a yawning deficit of over Rs.84.6 billion (Rs.8,462 crore), but no new taxes have been imposed and there has been no cut on developmental expenditure. State Finance Minister Dilip Walse-Patil, unveiling the interim budget in the legislative assembly, emphasised that the Ashok Chavan-led Democratic Front government has earmarked funds to step up power generation, minimise load shedding, augmenting irrigation facilities and focussing on the social sector.

February 21st, 2009 BANGALORE - The Karnataka government Friday allocated Rs.33 billion (Rs.3,300 crore) for the infrastructure development of India's IT hub in the state budget for the ensuing fiscal 2009-10. 'Of the total budget (Rs.33 billion), Rs.20 billion (Rs.2,000 crore) will be spent on upgrading arterial roads in Greater Bangalore under a special programme, involving private partnership for their maintenance,' Chief Minister B.S.

February 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government has made a provision of Rs.1 billion (Rs.100 crore) in the interim budget for 2009-10 for its proposed 'unique identification' project. The government had last month notified the setting up of the project, Unique Identification Authority of India, which will give a unique number to every citizen.

February 12th, 2009 LUCKNOW - Infrastructure and minority welfare grabbed the lion's share of allocation in the second budget of the 20-month-old Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh, presented by Finance Minister Lalji Verma in the state assembly here Friday. Top priority was been accorded to the development of infrastructure in the Rs.1,335.96 billion (Rs.133,596-crore) budget, with the allocation for the sector taking a 19 percent jump over that allocated in the previous year.

February 12th, 2009 RAIPUR - The interim railway budget presented Friday by Railways Minister Lalu Prasad has let down expectations of Chhattisgarh despite the fact that the state generates high revenue for the railways, Chief minister Raman Singh said here. 'The interim rail budget is disappointing, it has let down expectations of millions of people of Chhattisgarh,' said Singh in his reaction to the interim budget.