-The Hindu The Union Budget 2016-17 is also the BJP’s way of trying to woo what was always a Congress constituency – rural India. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s third budget has a clear political message: aimed at creating a “feel good” sense among Farmers and the rural poor with an eye to the slew of state elections due soon, it is an attempt to change the perception that this is a pro-rich...
More »SEARCH RESULT
Just another trivial Budget -Ashok V Desai
-The Hindu The Finance Minister’s prescriptions are a classic case of being unable to see the wood for the trees, be it on the tax proposals, the rural outreach or the bank bailout. It was a marathon achievement: 12,187 words in 111 minutes. True, there were no interruptions; the Finance Minister virtually sent the House to sleep. I have listened to many Budget speeches; and I cannot say that Dr. Manmohan Singh...
More »By no means a ‘socialist’ Budget -G Sampath
-The Hindu Be it education, health, pensions for the socially vulnerable, distressed Farmers, or MGNREGA, the 2016 Union Budget has nothing radical to offer. Appearances can be deceptive. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s emphasis on doubling farm incomes, rural development, and allocations for a battery of impressively named schemes for the social sector may give the impression that the right-wing NDA government has suddenly taken a ‘socialist’ turn. The reality, however, is otherwise. Howsoever...
More »Budget 2016: Govt raises agriculture spending to Rs.36,000 crore -Sayantan Bera
-Livemint.com Increased funding to go into irrigation schemes, crop insurance, national e-market for farm produce, pulse production and interest subsidy New Delhi: In a major push for agriculture in the Union budget, funding for the recently launched crop insurance scheme Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) has been more than doubled from Rs.2,589 crore in 2015-16 (budget estimate) to Rs.5,500 crore for 2016-17. The budget announced on Monday placed a renewed focus...
More »Budget 2016: Govt to spend Rs 5,500 cr on crop insurance scheme
-Business Standard An uniform premium of 2% needs to be paid by Farmers for all Kharif crops and 1.5% for all Rabi crops The government is planning to spend Rs 5,500 crore for the crop insurance scheme that was announced earlier, the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. In his Budget speech, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that the Farmers will have to pay a nominal premium for the coverage. There will be an...
More »