Delhi outlay increased by over 200 percent in budget

August 21st, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Planning Commission Friday approved Rs.10,000-crore (Rs.100 billion) plan outlay for Delhi for the 2009-10 fiscal. The annual plan for the capital was finalised in a meeting between Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

July 25th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Hundreds of handicapped people staged a demonstration at the residence of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday against lack of outlay in the budget for their welfare. The protest was organized by a New Delhi-based NGO, the Disabled Rights Group.

July 6th, 2009 New Delhi, July (IANS) India Monday pegged its expenditure outlay at Rs.44,528 crore (Rs.445.28 billion) for both school and higher education which is around 20 percent more than the last fiscal. According to the union budget 2009-10 proposals, while school education gets over Rs.29,099 crore (Rs.290.99 billion), the higher education bags Rs.15,429 crore (Rs.154.29 billion).

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 - The budget has increased the outlay for the minority affairs ministry from Rs.1,000 crore last fiscal to Rs.1,740 crore with a focus on educational schemes. The funds have been hiked to implement projects for the welfare of the minorities, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee announced while presenting the union budget Monday.

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 - 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 - 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

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 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.

June 26th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - The 2009-10 annual plan outlay for Punjab has been pegged at Rs.8,625 crore, an increase of 39 percent over last year. The details of the state's annual plan were finalised Friday in New Delhi at a meeting between Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and senior officials.

June 19th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Delhiites grew richer with per capita income growing at a faster pace compared to other states, while it increased its literate population to 82 percent, as per the state government's economic survey. Delhi's per capita income more than doubled the national average to stand at Rs.60,189, an increase of 5.6 percent over the previous corresponding period, according to the Economic Survey of Delhi (2008-09) presented by Delhi's Finance Minister A.K.

February 16th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The interim budget for 2009-10, presented in the Lok Sabha Monday, has brought down allocation of various child welfare programmes as compared to previous years, says a budget analysis done by a city-based children's rights organisation. 'On issues of health, education, protection and nutrition, the children have either received less in 2009-10 or their share has remained the same,' says the analysis report by Haq: Centre for Child Rights.

February 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Following are the highlights of the interim budget presented by Minister for External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee in the Lok Sabha Monday: * In past three years, India grew by average of over 9 percent * Per capita income expanded by 4.7 percent per annum * Fiscal deficit was brought down from 4.5 percent to 2.7 percent * Revenue deficit was cut from 3.6 percent to 1.1 percent * Exports increased 26.4 percent per annum * Foreign trade increased from 27.3 percent to 35.5 percent * Tax to gross domestic product ratio expanded by 9.2 to 12.5 percent * Agriculture grew by 3.7 percent per annum

January 22nd, 2009 CHANDIGARH - The Planning Commission has agreed to allocate an outlay of Rs.100 billion (Rs.10,000 crore) to Haryana for 2009-10, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said Friday. The outlay is over 50 percent more than the total outlay of Rs.66.5 billion (Rs.6,650 crore) approved for the state last fiscal.