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With the 2024 general elections handing the <keyword id="19894848" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="BJP" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="BJP">BJP</keyword> and its allies a fractured, albeit ruling majority in the country for the third consecutive time, India is now gearing up for the 2024–25 <keyword id="19908389" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Union-budget" source="keywords">Union budget</keyword>, which will be presented on July 22 between 11 am and 1 pm. The <keyword id="20613906" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="economic-survey" source="keywords">economic survey</keyword> is traditionally presented the day before. However, as per reports, the economic survey is likely to be released on July 3rd this year. The famous halwa ceremony will take place 10 days before the budget is tabled. Pre-budget consultations will begin on June 17th. FM <keyword id="19916618" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nirmala-Sitharaman" source="keywords">Nirmala Sitharaman</keyword> will become the first finance minister to have presented seven straight budgets, a record previously held by <keyword id="238033" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Morarji-Desai" source="Orion">Morarji Desai</keyword>, who had six consecutive budget presentations to his name. To date, Sitharaman has tabled five full and one interim budget. The first parliamentary session under Modi 3.0 will kick off on June 24, and the 264th session of the parliament will take place between the 27th of June and the 3rd of August. The year is set to see two budgets: one full-fledged budget in July and an interim budget presented on February 1, 2024. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="What can we expect from this budget?" comment="subhead" text="What can we expect from this budget?">What can we expect from this budget?</cmsannotation> Presenting an interim budget is customary during election years in India since it facilitates the transfer of work and finances between the outgoing and incoming governments. With the upcoming budget, PM Modi’s government will largely focus on tackling unemployment, issues in the agriculture sector, and maintaining the flow of capital expenditure in the economy. The simplification of the <keyword id="19993914" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="GST-regime" source="keywords">GST regime</keyword> and rolling out the 3rd edition of the <keyword id="20359761" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="FAME-scheme" source="keywords">FAME scheme</keyword> (Faster Adoption &amp; Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles) will also rank highly on the budget agenda. In that stead, a meeting of the GST council is also scheduled to take place on June 22nd. Additionally, experts are also anticipating the expansion of the PLI (production-linked incentives) schemes in this budget to include other sectors as well. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Lesser-known budget milestones" comment="subhead" text="Lesser-known budget milestones">Lesser-known budget milestones</cmsannotation> Till 2019, the union budget was carried in a briefcase, a practice initiated by India’s first FM, Sir RK Shanmukham Chetty. In 2019, the budget was presented as a traditional bahi-khata for the first time. It went paperless in 2021 after the FM introduced the budget via a tablet. Apart from having presented most budgets, Sitharaman also holds the record for having delivered the longest budget speech while presenting the Union budget for 2020–21. She spoke for two hours and 42 minutes. On the other hand, India’s shortest-ever budget speech was given in 1977 by Hirubhai Patel.

Union budget 2024-25 : When will it be presented, what to expect and more

The offers and details on this page may have updated or changed since the time of publication. See our article on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-budget-groceries-family-four-couples-one-person-inflation-2024-4" target="_blank">Business Insider</a> for current information.<ul class="summary-list"><li>US grocery prices remain high despite cooling inflation.</li><li>USDA's recommended monthly food budget for a family of four has risen 27% since 2020.</li></ul>While <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/high-inflation-goods-durables-deflation-groceries-expensive-federal-reserve-cars-2023-12">inflation</a> has cooled since its peak in June 2022, one place where American wallets are still being hit hard is at the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-save-money-groceries-budget-hacks-discounts-frugal-food-plan-2023-12">grocery store</a>.The US Department of Agriculture tracks the prices of foods at the grocery store, and each month, it <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fns.usda.gov/cnpp/usda-food-plans-cost-food-monthly-reports">recommends food plans at various cost levels</a>, depending on if you want a "thrifty," "low," "moderate," or "liberal" plan.It also creates a strategy specifically for residents of <a target="_blank" href="https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/Alaska_Hawaii_Thrifty_Food_Plan_February_2024.pdf">Alaska and Hawai'i,</a> as prices in those states tend to be outliers.As of March 2024, the USDA recommends a family of four on a thrifty budget spend $976.60 monthly and $1,585.20 for a liberal budget.On average, across the four food plans, the monthly budget recommendation has risen 27% since the start of 2020. Meanwhile, as of November, grocery prices were up 25.1% since the start of 2020, outpacing the 18.9% increase in overall prices.However, the USDA changed the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-105450">formula for the thrifty plan</a> in 2021, resulting in a larger increase than the other cost levels. The average increase for the low, moderate, and liberal plans was 23%.The plans are designed to show how to have a healthy diet at various price levels for a family of four, defined as a male and a female, both between 19 and 50 years old, as well as two children, one between the ages of six and eight and the other between the ages of nine and 11.<h2>How to adjust for smaller households</h2>The USDA has also broken down the recommended grocery budgets for individuals by sex and age based on recommended calories and nutrients during different stages of life.For example, an adult male between the ages of 19 and 50 has a recommended moderate food budget of $376.90, and it is $318.50 for a woman in the same age range.However, these recommendations are based on a household of four people, with some of the costs shared across the family. The USDA recommends adding 20% for someone only shopping for themselves, 10% for a household of two people, and 5% for a group of three.<div type="image" title="USDA Food Plan Budgets" height="459" width="512" msid="109288237" hostid="261" sizebytes="28364"></div><h2>Prices remain high even though inflation has cooled</h2>The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm">inflation on food purchased for the home</a> has slowed, rising 1.2% in March compared to the same period in 2023, lower than the overall inflation rate of 3.5%.However, the higher rates seen in recent years, especially in 2022, are <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-restaurant-prices-arent-dropping-lower-inflation-labor-costs-mcdonalds-2024-1">still built into the prices</a> paid at the store and are hitting consumers' wallets hard.<div type="image" title="Food at home inflation, groceries" height="482" width="677" msid="109288239" hostid="261" sizebytes="16578"></div>With food prices still weighing down consumers, some are becoming more conscious of how much they're spending and where.Luckily, there are tools to help, such as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-save-money-groceries-budget-hacks-discounts-frugal-food-plan-2023-12">meal planning</a>, sticking to a grocery shopping list, using <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-coupon-app-grocery-shopping-deals-discounts-rebates-2023-12">coupon apps</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-deals-bulk-items-costco-food-price-comparison-inflation-2023-12">shopping in bulk</a>, and looking around for the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/grocery-prices-heb-walmart-costco-food-prices-comparison-best-deals-2023-12">best deals on food</a>.Have your grocery budget and shopping lists changed in the last few years due to inflation? Reach out to this reporter at <a target="_blank" href="mailto:cgaines@businessinsider.com">cgaines@businessinsider.com</a>.

Here is how much you should be budgeting for groceries every month

New Delhi, Amid the coronavirus pandemic when the pace of manufacturing and services sector came to a grinding halt, <keyword id="6355165" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="agriculture">agriculture</keyword> and allied sectors in India have picked up pace as the country saw the strength of the farm sector. The <keyword id="26362" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Government">government</keyword> also took care of a large population of the country related to agriculture and farming and enacted new laws to intensify the winds of improvement in the agricultural sector. The <keyword id="6358021" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="budget">Budget</keyword> 2021-22 is going to be presented in <keyword id="6354721" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="parliament">Parliament</keyword> on Monday, amid wrangling over agricultural reform. In such a situation, it is expected that the Modi government, which claims to give priority to the progress of villages, the poor and <keyword id="45092" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="farmers">farmers</keyword>, will also give priority to agriculture and rural development in the upcoming Budget. According to the Economic Review 2020-21, while the industry and services sectors are projected to fall by 9.6 per cent and 8.8 per cent, respectively, in the current financial year, the growth rate of agriculture and allied sectors can remain at 3.4 per cent. The agriculture and allied sectors recorded a growth rate of 3.4 per cent at constant prices during FY 2020-21 (first advance estimate). The Modi government's priority has been to double the income of farmers by 2022 and to develop basic facilities in villages including 'pucca' houses for all the poor in the country. Therefore, with a view to achieving these goals, the budgetary allocation of major schemes of agriculture and rural development sector can be expected to increase in the upcoming Budget. A senior official of the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said that farmers' awareness about all the schemes of agriculture sector including Prime Minister <keyword id="7283018" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="kisan-samman-nidhi">Kisan Samman Nidhi</keyword> (PM-KISAN) is continuously increasing and the benefits of these schemes are beginning to be seen at the ground level. The government will also focus on the scheme to provide short-term agricultural loans to farmers at affordable interest rates. Other schemes of the agriculture sector, including the Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme, the Prime Minister Agricultural Irrigation Scheme, can also be given importance in this budget. Agricultural economists point out that along with agriculture, the government will give prominence to the plans of the food processing industry, which will help in achieving the goal of doubling the income of farmers. Major schemes for the development of villages proved to be very helpful in providing employment opportunities to the workers migrating from the cities during the corona period. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA), in addition to providing employment to the daily wage labourers in the villages, proved to be crucial in the development of basic infrastructure in the villages, which was called an opportunity in disaster and under the self-sufficient India package. Experts say that in the upcoming Budget also, other rural development schemes including MNREGA can be increased. The budgetary allocation of MNREGA was ₹61,500 crore in 2020-21, but under the self-sufficient package in the corona era, an additional allocation of ₹40,000 crore was made for the scheme. Farmers have been agitating for more than two months on the borders of Delhi to repeal the new agricultural laws and to demand a legal guarantee for the purchase of crops at the minimum support price (MSP). Agricultural experts point out that MSP is a big issue in the farmers' movement, so some announcement can be expected in the Budget regarding MSP as well. Union Finance Minister <keyword id="129243" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nirmala-Sitharaman">Nirmala Sitharaman</keyword> will present the General Budget of the upcoming financial year 2021-22 in Parliament on Monday. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/travel/article/the-many-marvels-of-satpura-biosphere-reserve/articleshow/80598269.cms">The many marvels of Satpura Biosphere Reserve in Madhya Pradesh</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget/news/india-travel-and-tourism-sector-is-hoping-that-the-budget-2021-wont-leave-them-behind/articleshow/80596702.cms">India’s travel and tourism sector is hoping that the Budget won’t leave them behind</a>

Rural poor, farmers' progress to be government's priority :Budget 2021

<keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> has embraced technology in every field of activity. It is adopting smart farming methods through technology and innovation in the agriculture sector and this may prove to be a game changer in the days to come by substantially raising farmers income. How is this method beneficial? Smart farming involves the application of sensors and automated irrigation practices. It can help monitor agricultural land, temperature and soil moisture. This would enable farmers to monitor crops from anywhere. Moreover, smart farming can help integrate digital and physical infrastructures, which would benefit small farmers. Agri-based startups can reach out to the farmers and help them gain access to such viable and cost-effective solutions. Agri-based, tech-driven startups have been very innovative in assisting farmers and revolutionising farming techniques. They have also addressed one of the most powerful headwinds (climate change) through climate-smart farming. In a unique move, the Indian government is implementing a <keyword id="12166469" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Digital-Agriculture-Mission" source="Orion">Digital Agriculture Mission</keyword> (DAM), which includes India Digital Ecosystem of Agriculture (IDEA), Farmers' Database, Unified Farmers Service Interface (UFSI), funding to the states on the new technology (NeGPA), revamping <keyword id="3182679" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mahalanobis-National-Crop-Forecast-Centre" source="Orion">Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre</keyword> (MNCFC), Soil Health, Fertility and profile mapping. According to a report published by the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) in 2019, there were more than 450 argi-based tech-driven startups in India as of 2019. This number has skyrocketed in the last two years as the sector witnessed a surge in investments and funding. Agri-based tech-driven startups have been very innovative in assisting farmers and revolutionising farming techniques. They have also addressed one of the most powerful headwinds (climate change) through climate-smart farming. Under the NeGPA programme funding is given to the governments in various Indian states for Digital Agriculture projects using emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), Internet of Things (IOT), Block chain etc. Adoption of drone technologies is being done too. To promote smart farming, the government promotes startups in the agriculture sector and nurtures agri-entrepreneurs. The 'Per Drop More Crop' component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sichai Yojana (PMKSY-PDMC) aims to increase water use efficiency at the farm level through micro irrigation technologies like drip and sprinkler irrigation systems. PMKSY is a scheme initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The <keyword id="87560" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Council-of-Agricultural-Research" source="Orion">Indian Council of Agricultural Research</keyword> (ICAR) promotes innovation, extension and education in agriculture. A total of 1,575 field crop varieties were released for different agricultural crops during 2014-21. During 2014-21, 91.43 crore agri-advisories were provided to farmers through mobiles. ICAR developed 187 mobile apps on different farm and farmer related services during 2014-21. The agriculture sector plays a vital role in enriching India's economy. Agriculture accounted for almost 17.8 per cent of India's Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2019- 20. According to the World Bank's collection of development indicators, employment rate in the Indian agriculture sector stood at 41.5 per cent in 2020. From a socio-economic standpoint, agriculture is a vital sector which requires focus and awareness at all levels. According to India Brand Equity Foundation, the rising population and changing diets have created a huge pressure on land in India. Farmers are struggling to keep up as crop yields level off, soil degradation rises, water shortage increases, biodiversity declines, and natural calamities become more frequent. Furthermore, agriculture accounts for almost 14 per cent of India's total greenhouse gas emissions. In the meantime, the NITI Aayog (erstwhile Planning Commission of India) conducted a study entitled "Efficacy of Minimum Support Prices on farmers", in 2016, which found, among other things, that MSP declared by the government has encouraged 78 per cent of the farmers covered under the study for adopting improved methods of farming such as high yielding varieties of seeds, organic manure, chemical fertilizer, pesticides and improved methods of harvesting etc. Additionally, oilseeds, pulses and copra of Fair Average Quality (FAQ) are procured from registered farmers under Price Support Scheme of the umbrella scheme of Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA), as per its prescribed guidelines. The Indian national Budget for 2018-19 had announced the pre-determined principle to keep Minimum Support Price or MSP at levels of one-and-half times of the cost of production. Accordingly, government has increased the MSPs for all mandated Kharif (including wheat), Rabi and other commercial crops with a return of at least 50 per cent over all India weighted average cost of production from the agricultural year 2018-19. Moreover, India's National Crop Insurance Portal (NCIP) is the only source of enrolment for Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), on which farmer applications from various designated sources including banks/financial institutions are entered. Specific cut-off dates have been prescribed for enrolment of farmers, debit of premium, remittance of farmers' premium to concerned insurance company and uploading of data of farmers on NCIP. The <keyword id="603825" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ministry-of-Food-Processing-Industries" source="Orion">Ministry of Food Processing Industries</keyword> (MoFPI) has been incentivising setting of food processing industries through central sector umbrella scheme �Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY), Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Food Processing Industry (PLISFPI) and centrally sponsored scheme �PM Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme across all the country. Under scheme of creation of infrastructure for agro processing clusters, a component scheme of PMKSY, the scheme is aimed at development of modern infrastructure and common facilities to encourage entrepreneurs to set up food processing units based on cluster approach and also to create modern infrastructure for food processing closer to production areas and to provide integrated and complete preservation infrastructure facilitates from the farm gate to the consumer. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/india-must-pitch-for-rupee-as-dollar-distancing-might-be-finally-happening-sbi-ecowrap/articleshow/93513940.cms">India must pitch for Rupee as dollar distancing might be finally happening: SBI Ecowrap</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/snapchat-comes-to-india-with-exclusive-features-heres-how-much-it-costs-and-how-to-sign-up/articleshow/93513880.cms">Snapchat+ comes to India with exclusive features — here's how much it costs and how to sign up</a>

Smart farming can prove to be a game changer in the coming days

New Delhi, Feb 2 () Barring fertiliser and chemicals sector, the government has provided higher budget allocation for agriculture, and its allied activities as well as to the food and food processing sector for 2020-21.
For the agriculture and farmers welfare ministry, the government has provided 30 per cent increase in the fund allocation at Rs 1,42,761.58 crore for the next fiscal as against the revised estimate of Rs 1,09,750.17 crore for the ongoing financial year, according to the budget document.
Of the total allocation, maximum of Rs 75,000 crore has been allocated for the government's flagship scheme PM-Kisan for the 2020-21 fiscal, followed by Rs 15,695 crore for the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and Rs 2,000 crore for Price Stabilisation Scheme (PSS).
That apart, the government has allocated Rs 600 crore for promoting farm mechanisation, Rs 500 crore each for PM-Asha scheme and setting up of 10,000 Farmers Producers Companies (FPOs), while Rs 220 crore for PM Kisan Samman Nidhi (farmers pension scheme) for the next fiscal.
The allocation for the ambitious PM-Kisan scheme, under which Rs 6,000 is given in three equal instalments to each beneficiary farmer annually, has been kept at Rs 75,000 crore for the 2020-21 fiscal, higher than Rs 54,370.15 crore provided in the revised estimate for this year.
The allocation has been trimmed for the current year from the initial estimate of Rs 75,000 crore in view of implementation hurdles and lack of interest shown by some states like West Bengal.
In case of PMFBY, the government has allocated higher funds at Rs 15,695 crore for the next fiscal compared to the revised estimate of Rs 13,640.85 crore for the current fiscal.
For agriculture and research development, the government has provided Rs 8,362.58 crore budget for the 2020-21 fiscal, up from Rs 7,846.17 crore in the revised estimate.
Realising the potential of the allied farm activities like dairy can help provide supplementary income to farmers, the government has increased the allocation for animal husbandry, livestock, dairy and fishery ministry to Rs 4,114.13 crore for the next fiscal from the revised estimate of Rs 3,490 crore.
Of which, Rs 3,289 crore has been allocated for animal husbandry, livestock and dairy, while Rs 825 crore for promoting fishery sector in the next fiscal.
For the food processing ministry, the government has increased allocation to Rs 1,232.94 crore for the next fiscal from the revised estimate of Rs 1,042.79 crore.
For the food and consumer affairs ministry, the allocation has been increased by six per cent to Rs 1,15,569.68 crore for the next fiscal from the revised estimate of Rs 1,08,688.35 crore.
However, for the fertiliser and chemicals ministry, the budget allocation has been reduced to Rs 71,563.34 crore for the next fiscal from the revised estimate of Rs 80,405.18 crore. LUX BAL

Govt provides 30 pc higher Budget allocation for agriculture

<ul><li>Finance Minister <keyword id="129243" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nirmala-Sitharaman">Nirmala Sitharaman</keyword> on Saturday announced <keyword id="8192304" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="union-budget-2020">Union Budget 2020</keyword> which gave an impetus to the country’s digital ecosystem.</li><li>The budget came up with an optional new tax regime which could lead to lower taxes for taxpayers.</li><li>She also acknowledged the role entrepreneurs have played in creating more jobs and capital for the country.</li></ul>As Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget on Saturday, the industry came together to applaud the government’s digital push with the announcement of the setting aside of Rs 6,000 crore for BharatNet, to ensure low cost internet reaches every household in the country. The government also announced an optional new tax slab which has lower tax rates, although the people opting for the new tax regime will not get any exemptions. The FM also spoke about the role that entrepreneurs have played in creating jobs and bringing in more capital to the country. However, there were a few industry experts who felt that the expectations from ‘the budget were much higher and it feels like a missed opportunity.’ Here are the views of some experts: Ashish Bhasin, CEO, APAC and Chairman, India - Dentsu Aegis Network: I think this is a good budget in some ways because it has attempted to put money in the hands of the middle class through rationalisation of tax rates as well as has concentrated on looking after the agricultural sector, including introduction of best practises like storage for producers and other measures. However, I do feel that the expectations from the budget were much more and it does feel like a bit of a missed opportunity. While it is good to see that the dividend distribution tax has been abolished, I expected more on the rationalisation of direct taxes, particularly the cess introduced over and above the tax rates. It is good to see efforts being made to encourage new-age skill development as well as helping the start-ups and what's particularly interesting is the proposal to set up data centre farms all over the country. This will prepare India for the economy of tomorrow. It is also good to see attempts at simplification of taxation through digitisation but the proof of the pudding will lie in seeing its implementation on ground. It would be fair to say that at best it is a mixed budget and while there are some encouraging decisions, enough does not seem to have been done for the situation the economy is in. RS Sodhi, Managing Director of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation: <keyword id="7836802" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Budget-2020">Budget 2020</keyword>, an excellent move, will bring more investments in the dairy sector which will increase the farmers’ bargaining power to get better prices for their produce, if done properly it will create 80 lakh jobs in Rural India and 16 lakh jobs in Urban India. Anand Bhadkamkar, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) India: The budget has provided relief to the middle class with lower tax rates which is a welcome move, as it will provide more liquidity. On direct taxes, the abolition of DDT and introduction of a tax dispute resolution scheme is a welcome step alongside tax reliefs for startups. The budget is focusing on easing and simplification of compliance, with changes in corporate laws as well as in GST and direct taxes. However, I was expecting further simplification of cess and surcharges beyond tax rates across slabs. The proposals for development of road infrastructure, setting up data centre parks and skill development initiatives are welcome steps in addition to allocations for social welfare schemes. However, the expectations from the budget were high on the background of current economic slowdown, and as such seems to be short on matching those expectations, with no specific industry sector focused sops to provide stimulus. While the budget shows focus on long term growth and social development, overall in the current scenario it looks like a mixed budget, falling a bit short of market expectations of more corrective measures. Mukesh Kalra, Founder &amp; CEO - ETMONEY: The Finance Minister's proposal to introduce a new tax regime is a great step towards giving equal chance to every Indian in the lower income segment to maximize their post tax incomes. In the old regime, an individual supporting a larger family &amp; negligible savings was forced to pay higher tax compared to an individual supporting a smaller family or one with no dependents. This created disparity when it came to effective taxation for the former group. In the new regime, the disparity ends &amp; also frees up income in the hands of individuals to give a boost to consumption. Nishant Pitti, Co-Founder &amp; CEO, EaseMyTrip: In tune with the present government vision to encourage Indian travellers to travel more and contribute towards the nation's growth, this budget takes it a step ahead. The budget has focused on promoting tourism &amp; travel with an overall budget of Rs. 2500 crores in year 2020-21. Government aims to develop 100 more domestic airports under the UDAN scheme. To promote travel via railways, the government will focus on more Tejas type trains that will connect tourist destinations in India. The Finance Minister has also laid stress on the development of archaeological sites into iconic sites with on-site museums. Five such sites are- Rakhigarhi, Hastinapur, Shivsagar, Dholavira and Adichanallur. Government has also announced the renovation of 4 key museums. Rs,150 crore have been allocated for the ministry of culture in 2020-21. We are hopeful that this budget will open new avenues for the travel industry. Sabyasachi Mitter, Founder and Managing Director of Fulcro: The key takeaway for me has been the simplification of tax regimes as well as giving a boost to consumer and investor sentiments. The removal of DDT is a significant move and long overdue as it effectively leads to double taxation. Simplification of personal Income Tax rates by giving the option to tax payers to avail the reduced tax rates by not availing deductions is a welcome step towards a future free from the historical legacy of compliance issues. The focus on encouraging start-ups is also welcome, both in terms of giving relief to the ESOP taxation which has been increased to 5 years. The turnover of availing 100% income Tax benefit has also seen two key changes; increasing the turnover threshold to 100 crores as well as increasing the block of years from which to avail three years of exemption to 10 years from the 7 years presently. All of these will increase the cash in hand of corporates, individuals as well MSMEs leading to a spur in demand. Specifically to the digital ecosystem the aggressive plans to increase the coverage of Fiber to Home being extended to 1 lakh gram panchayats will give a significant boost to the digital ecosystem. The recognition of the need for data and therefore the policy announcement on data centre parks is also a welcome move. Anish Sarkar, CEO, Sodexo BRS India: Sodexo always believes in giving our consumers the freedom of choice; the tax proposals in the budget are also on a similar philosophy. We believe that consumers should have a higher purchasing power – while this announcement will give them the power to choose their tax structure, our consumer base will continue to benefit from the current regime. Sodexo’s solution suite goes much beyond tax-saving products; driving the digitization of corporate cafeterias &amp; factories along with digitizing expense management to achieve workplace efficiency. We are very focussed on enhancing the employee experience of our clients by creating an ecosystem of value-added benefits much beyond tax savings. Devendra Shah, Chairman, Parag Milk Foods Ltd: We happily welcome the government's big push to the India's dairy industry. We are excited to be a part of the government's plan to double India’s milk processing capacity. Strategic measures like increasing the coverage of artificial insemination and eliminating Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Brucellosis in cattle will result in higher yields. While such measures are welcomed, the dairy sector also needs to ensure the yearlong availability of green fodder. We can currently import the green fodder from Australia, Canada and USA. All these collectively help in Increasing milk consumption amongst urban and rural consumers thus attracting new investments and jobs. Navin Khemka, CEO, Mediacom South Asia: What is required is more purchasing power to the Indian middle class. This will help boost demand in the sluggish economy. I hope the investment in infrastructure and kisan express helps in achieving this objective in the long run. Short term, however, I think this budget is status quo. Demand growth could be sluggish and this could continue to impact media investments by corporates. Indroneel Dutt, CFO, Cleartrip: The government has backed its vision to turn India into one of the world’s top tourism hubs by allocating INR 2,500 crore for promoting tourism in general and setting aside a sum of INR 3100 crore for the Culture Ministry to boost regional tourism. What would be wonderful is to have an empowered nodal body comprising of the Govt / OTA / airline, hotel and other industry representatives with the objective of promoting discoverability, ease of booking and fulfilment of our cultural, natural and heritage sites. Introduction of more Tejas Express type trains and the inauguration of several culturally-significant archaeological sites are other much-needed moves. We also welcome the Hon’ble FM’s proposal to develop 100 more airports as well as the doubling of the airline fleet by 2024. This calls for skilled manpower development in parallel. The aim to double the fleet to 1200 in the next 3 years will certainly accelerate the passenger growth rate. Ramesh Kaushik, VP Brand Experience at Blackberrys: The government remains committed to accelerate consumption in budget 2020. Government measures of reducing corporate tax and initiatives to boost MSME sector will definitely help accelerate industrial and corporate growth in the country. Measures like simplifying GST and income tax relief are sure to give requisite push to consumer consumption and demand thereby accelerating growth across industries. Additionally allocation of funds for infrastructural development is a welcome move clearing path for expansion. We expect more measures/announcements specific to the retail industry from the government in the coming future that will give the right impetus to the industry. Sameer Makani, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Makani Creatives: Budget 2020 aims at the betterment of all sections of the society. The key highlight is certainly the tax regime where the government has proposed alternative tax policies and new rates to benefit the taxpayers. The vision to improve the start-up scenario in the country will help in creating more job opportunities and further ensuring the economic growth. The Skill development programme will enable overall personality development In comparison to budget 2019, MSMEs will experience a 71% rise over and above the budgetary allocation. Sudhanshu Agarwal, Founder &amp; Director, Citykart: The announcements made by the government in Union Budget 2020 are a promising move to boost the income and purchasing power of people. So far, the rollout of GST has resulted in gains of about Rs.1 lakh crores to consumers, which is likely to increase further with revised GST laws being implemented from April 2020. Simplification of GST norms will be significant in inspiring consumer demand &amp; consumptions and spur industrial growth. Additionally, allocation of Rs.100 lakh crores for infrastructure development also opens growth prospects for the brands in non-metro cities. However, we feel specific measures pertaining to the retail sector have still not been fully addressed in the budget. Kunal Lakhara, VP of Finance and Operations, Pocket Aces: Budget 2020's revised fiscal deficit target of 3.8% of the GDP seems more realistic and focus on spends/benefits was required to boost the economy. The thrust on entrepreneurship and tax regulations for both startups and taxpayers is a move in the right direction. India is the third largest startup hub globally and the announcement of an investment clearance cell to provide end-to-end support to startup founders will encourage more youth to be job creators. Further, the ability to defer taxes on ESOPs will democratise wealth creation for startup employees, ensuring the right talent is benefitted. Finally, the decision to grant 100% tax exemptions to sovereign wealth funds on their investment in priority sectors will provide the much needed funding boost to the sector and create value in the longer run. Sahil Vaidya, Co- Founder &amp; Director, The Minimalist: Following the announcement of the Union Budget 2020, one thing is certain, is that the Government is heavily focused on becoming an entrepreneurial superpower. By investing in the MSME sector, the Government’s support towards new companies will go a long way in producing high growth business. Furthermore, the tax waiver on ESOPs will enable more talent to place their bets on early stage disruptive start-ups, which have the potential to become the corporates of tomorrow. Among other sectors, the Budget 2020’s focus on start-ups and technology will be a boost to companies that are doing some cutting edge design thinking to enable the best of digital products for a booming digital economy. Sanil Jain, Co-founder, CupShup: The start-up ecosystem in India is not more than a decade old and has come a long way to become the third largest in the world after USA and China. 2019 was not what we can call a good economic growth year but this budget has definitely brought some relief to start-ups. The implementation of the Investment Advisory Cell will aid new start-ups. Deferring the Taxation on ESOPs is definitely a big win as it will go a long way in acquiring and retaining quality talent. While on the other hand, decreasing direct tax to a historic low of 22% will boost export opportunities and drive growth across various industries. Nikhil Mathur, Managing Director – India, GfK: The proposal to boost rural economy, infrastructure and enhance purchasing power of middle class, if implemented well would certainly be fruitful. It could further improve the consumption of consumer durable and electronics. As per GfK data, CE-MDA category registered a volume growth of ~9% in 2019/2018. I think the market is expected to grow in the back of technology companies and given the state of economy we can be hopeful of a better future. Besides, encouraging local manufacturing of mobile phones and semiconductors may fuel the ‘Make in India’ vision.

Industry experts share their optimism about Budget 2020

Budget overhang is likely to dominate trading pattern in the equity market this week, while participants will also keenly watch other developments like RBI policy, release of key macro data and quarterly earnings, according to analysts.
 Giving a thumbs down to the Budget, the market benchmark Sensex logged its biggest single-day plunge in more than a decade on Saturday after Budget presentation.
 Analysts said investors were disappointed as the Budget failed to live up to market expectations of growth-boosting measures and fiscal discipline.
 "The lack of major growth boosting measures in itself is negative for the equity market. The new income tax regime would also be negative for tax exempt equity savings schemes," Sujan Hajra, Chief Economist and Executive Director, Anand Rathi Shares &amp; Stock Brokers said.
 Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday slashed income tax for individuals, abolished dividend tax for companies and announced some measures for agriculture and infrastructure sectors.
 "Recasting of dividend taxation norms also seem to be on the balance negative for most domestic equity investors. Overall, the budget seems to be negative for the equity market," Hajra said.
 Further, income tax slab rejigs also stoked fears of declining inflows in tax-saving investment avenues. 
 "Income tax changes announced has come with riders of giving up exemptions which disappointed the markets, with insurance sector being impacted the most," Geojit Financial Services Ltd Head of Research Vinod Nair said.
 He further said that the flexibility shown in FY20 fiscal deficit is positive, but extending the same to FY21 would have provided more confidence to the market. 
 "Since the event is over, the focus will now turn to ongoing Q3 announcements and how global events unfolds in the near term," Nair added.
 The Reserve Bank will on Thursday announce its first bi-monthly monetary policy post-Budget. 
 PMI data for manufacturing and services sector are also due this week. 
 On corporate earnings front, Bharti Airtel, Lupin, Sun Pharma and Mahindra &amp; Mahindra are among the major companies scheduled to declare their October-December results this week.
 Concerns related to coronavirus may also dictate sentiments in the global as well as domestic market.
 On Budget day, the <keyword id="53232" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="BSE-sensex">BSE Sensex</keyword> ended 987.96 points, or 2.43 per cent lower, at 39,735.53. Over the last week, it plummeted 1,877.66 points to close below the key 40,000-mark. SUM RVK See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/personal-finance/news/you-will-now-have-to-pay-14-5-tax-on-dividend-received-on-lic-policy/articleshow/73887794.cms?src=hp_ts">You will now have to pay 14.5% tax on dividend received on LIC policy</a>

Watch out for RBI policy review and earnings from Airtel, Lupin, Sun Pharma and M&M this week

<ul><li>India’s <keyword id="6355165" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="agriculture">agriculture</keyword> sector is expected to create 2.1 million jobs in the next 10 years. </li><li>The advent of 5G technology will also accelerate the pace of job creation by 2022. </li><li>The agro-industry employed nearly 42% of the working population in India. </li><li>The sector can create job roles such as drone flyer, warehouse manager, and data analysts.</li></ul>The agriculture sector in India might get a long-pending technological overhaul. As this sector deploys <keyword id="107950" type="TECHNOLOGY" weightage="20" keywordseo="artificial-intelligence">artificial intelligence</keyword> and Internet of Things (IoT) to bring in efficiencies, it might also create 2.1 million jobs in rural areas. This is according to a recent study titled ‘<a href="https://brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/digital/iot-and-ai-apps-to-generate-more-than-2-8-million-jobs-in-rural-india-in-8-10-years-broadband-india-forum/70059264">The Impact of IoT on Jobs in Rural India</a>’ put out by the Broadband India Forum(BIF). Technologies like agriculture drones, satellite mapping, electronic marketplace, livestock traceability, climate sensing stations, and product traceability will create jobs like — drone flyer, warehouse manager, and data analysts. And the country is already making strides in this area. The Indian government recently signed a pact with IBM India to study the use of artificial intelligence and other technology solutions for <a href="https://www.livemint.com/technology/tech-news/govt-ropes-in-ibm-for-pilot-study-on-using-ai-weather-tech-in-agriculture-1562167954508.html">Kharif crop</a> in three states. Going further, the advent of 5G technology will also accelerate the pace of job creation in the given sectors by 2022, the report noted. Smart Farms With the advent of machine learning tools, data driven implementation can refine traditional farming processes — by live-tracking of weather and environmental changes, monitoring crop-health, water content and nutrition in the fields. The idea is to <a href="https://www.firstpost.com/tech/science/integrating-iot-with-agriculture-can-revolutionise-the-landscape-in-india-6800601.html">ramp up agricultural output</a> with advanced farmer practices. Mobile-based applications can also help them implement ‘smart farms,’ thereby improving farm incomes. Several <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/agriculture-20-with-drones-analytics-and-mobile-apps-agri-tech-startups-are-tackling-indias-farming-problems/article28134174.ece">agricultural startups</a> such as CropIn, eKutir and NaPanta have come up with solutions to agricultural practices. For instance, eKutir bridges the gap between farmers and potential suppliers of fertilizers and seeds through a web-based and mobile application. "Enabling use of next-generation technologies such as AI and advanced weather data for better insights to make faster and more informed agricultural decisions is a testament to our commitment," Mint reported citing Agriculture Minister <keyword id="6382481" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="narendra-singh-tomar">Narendra Singh Tomar</keyword>. However, India might fall short of skilled employees for this emerging job opportunity. It is estimated that India has less than 10% of data scientists available globally. According to a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/iits-launch-courses-in-artificial-intelligence-and-machine-learning/articleshow/67850336.cms">survey</a> by Analytics Vidhya and ed-tech platform Great Learnings, India has 50,000 vacancies in data and analytics sector. In fact, the country is expected to create 39,000 new analytics jobs by 2020. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/union-budget-2019-for-education-study-in-india-program-announced-by-nirmala-sitharaman/articleshow/70083474.cms">Study in India program to turn the country into an education hub for foreign students</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indian-government-is-trying-ibm-artificial-intelligence-to-boost-agriculture/articleshow/70066028.cms">Indian is trying out IBM's artificial intelligence platform to offer weather forecast and soil moisture information to the country's farmers</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/iit-students-choose-ai-over-computer-science/articleshow/70024844.cms">IIT students are choosing AI over computer science as job prospects change</a>

Drone operators and satellite map experts are some of the 2 million jobs in Indian farms that automation will open up

New Delhi, Feb 1 () The Union Budget 2020, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday, would help revive dampened consumer sentiment and put consumption back on track, leading retailers said.
 Besides, government's push towards creation of a strong agriculture infrastructure, and efforts to revive local manufacturing along with micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector and simplify GST, would help many small traders.
 "Budget 2020 would lead to creation of a new aspirational India, anchored around agriculture, health and education. This Budget seeks to strengthen grassroots of the economy with its positive push towards creation of a strong agriculture infrastructure, which will give a big push to India's rural sector," said Walmart India President and CEO Krish Iyer.
 He further said: "The rate cuts in the personal income tax rates would increase disposable income in the hands of the Indian middle class which will enhance consumption through improved purchasing power. These two positive budgetary intervention together would drive a strong demand growth that drives the Indian economy in turn".
 According to METRO Cash and Carry India's MD and CEO Arvind Mediratta, the Budget would revive dampened consumer sentiments, and announcements on tax incentives on incomes will put consumption back on track, he said.
 Mediratta also welcomed government's move to revive local manufacturing and MSME sector.
 "Tax holidays to startups will encourage existing and new entrepreneurs in doing business. The government's announcement to simplify GST from April 2020 returns will help lakhs of small traders, kiranas and restaurant owners," he said.
 Retailers Association of India (RAI) CEO Kumar Rajagopalan said that it had two expectations from the Budget this year - Ease of Doing Business and a national policy for retail.
 "We are pleased that Budget 2020 paves the path for both in some way. The mandate to states for adopting model laws and decriminalisation of statues are some welcome moves on those fronts. More money hands in the consumers definitely boosts consumption, however, we have to calibrate for non-allowance of deductions," he said.
 While, Spykar Lifestyles CEO Sanjay Vakharia said that there are no "feel-good measures" in the Budget.
 "Beside a few changes to the personal income tax rates, not much is seen impacting the demand and consumption story. The big gun announcements that the industry was expecting to stimulate the economy were missing," he said. KRH ANS
ANS

Budget 2020 to help revive consumer sentiments: Retail industry

<ul><li>Both Sensex and <keyword id="6354813" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nifty">Nifty</keyword> declined nearly a percent and half as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman read her budget speech.</li><li>Markets were hoping for a big stimulus from the government to revive the economic growth which has hit a six and a half year low. </li><li>Changes to income tax slabs, passing of the tax on corporate dividends, liberalisation of education sector, the IPO of LIC, extended tax holiday for affordable housing were among the big proposals.</li></ul>India's <keyword id="35199" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="stock-markets">stock markets</keyword> were unusually open on a Saturday, in anticipation of an 'economic stimulus', but as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman went through with her speech, both Sensex , down nearly 700 points, and Nifty that was down about 220 points at 2:30 pm. Changes to income tax slabs, passing of the tax on corporate dividends, liberalisation of education sector, extended tax holiday for affordable housing, and the initial public offering of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) were among the big proposals. However, the stock market did not seem very excited with the minister's proposals. "Investors stayed away from taking fresh positions ahead of the big event. Focus will turn to the Union Budget as all eyes will be on how Centre is going to bring growth as any increase in spending would result in widening of fiscal deficit. Global economy is also on the edge with slow growth fears significantly high after the outbreak of the virus," Vinod Nair, head of research at Geojit Financial Services told IANS earlier in the day. Insurance stocks like HDFC Life, ICICI Prudential, and SBI Life took a heavy beating, down anywhere between 5% and 8%, after the budget proposed the listing of LIC ⁠— the country's largest insurance giant with a corpus of ₹31 lakh crore⁠— that is likely to corner a lot of interest from investors. Technology stocks were propped up as the early part of Sitharaman's speech gave a lot of thrust to leveraging technology in a whole host of sectors from health and education to quantum computing and gene mapping. Even stocks like HUL, Asian Paints, and Bajaj Finance, which started the day on buoyant note hoping for sharp cuts in income tax and a boost for consumption including housing, gave up the early gains as the tax cuts proposed by the budget can be availed only if the taxpayer gives up on exemptions. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Income </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Previous Tax Rate </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">New Tax Rate </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Up to ₹2.5 lakh </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Nil </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Nil </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹2.5 lakh to ₹5 lakh </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">5% </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Nil </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹5 lakh to ₹7.5 lakh </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">20% </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">10% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹7.5 lakh to ₹10 lakh </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">20% </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">15% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹10 lakh to ₹12.5 lakh </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">30% </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">20% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹12.5 lakh to ₹15 lakh </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">30% </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">25% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Abover ₹15 lakh </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">30% </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">30% </td></tr></tbody></table> While Sitharaman said that a person earning up to ₹15 lakh a year can save up to ₹78,000 a year in taxes, if they give up on exemptions. These are some of the big highlights that are relevant to the share market: Cost to the exchequer ₹40,000 crore; Removed 70 tax exemptions and deductions. These new rates are available to those who forego exemptions, deductions, and rebates. Dividend distribution tax will be abolished, it will be taxable in the hands of the recipient. Cost to exchequer: ₹25,000 crore. ""The decision to remove dividend distribution tax was much-needed as it was resulting in triple taxation of corporate earnings. The shift to a simplified scheme of personal income tax is another welcome move as it removes distortionary influences in the individual’s savings choices even though the actual tax savings may not be significant for those who were availing deductions and exemptions," VP Nandakumar, MD &amp; CEO of Manappuram Finance Limited said. However, the stock of the company fell over 3.2% in trade. Shares of IDBI Bank surged as much as 17% after the Finance Minister said that the government will sell its remaining 47% stake (as of December 2019) in the bank. LIC owns 51% stake in IDBI Bank, the unlocking of value will make the insurance giant's IPO even more valuable. Zeal Aqua (up 14.4%), Waterbase (up 5.58%), Apex Frozen (up 4.55%), Avanti Feeds (up 2.93%) and Coastal Corporation (up 2.66%) gained due to a dedicated push for the fishing industry. Sitharaman said that the fish production will be increased 200 lakh tonnes a year and set a target of ₹1 lakh crore in fish exports. The education sector has been allowed to borrow money from abroad as well as to invite foreign students via a new entrance examination called the INDSAT. Shares of Navneet Education (up 2.33%), Zee Learn (up 2.19%), Career Point (up 1.98%) and MT Educare (up 1.97%), gained in trade. The speech discouraged the use of chemical fertilisers, and promote organic farming, dragging down stocks like Rashtriya Chemical Fertilisers. The ₹2.83 lakh crore allocation for agriculture, irrigation, and rural development did little to stokes of a revival in rural demand. Dividend distribution tax will be taxable in the hands of the recipient and not the company. This will cost 25,000 crore to the exchequer. Dividend and capital gains made by foreign funds on investment in infrastructure space will tax free. The budget also proposed to set up a 100 new airports in the next five years but stocks of airport construction majors like GMR Infra and GVK were down nearly 5% in afternoon trade. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/personal-finance/news/new-income-tax-slab-tax-savings-for-salaried-people/articleshow/73835816.cms">You'll save ₹78,000 more under new income tax slabs if you earn less than ₹15 lakh</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget/news/indian-government-infuses-22000-crore-in-power-and-renewable-proposes-freedom-to-choose-supplier/articleshow/73835587.cms">Indian government infuses ₹22000 crore in power and renewable, proposes freedom to choose supplier</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget/income-tax/news/check-out-new-income-tax-slab-of-2021/articleshow/73830824.cms">New income tax slabs 2020</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget/news/there-will-be-no-manual-cleaning-of-sewers-anymore-announces-nirmala-sitharaman/articleshow/73835265.cms">“There will be no manual cleaning of sewers anymore,” announces Nirmala Sitharaman</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget/news/union-budget-2020-live-updates-news-and-highlights/liveblog/73824572.cms">Union Budget 2020 Live Updates</a>

Indian markets aren’t excited because budget does not have the ‘stimulus’ they had hoped for

Chandigarh, Feb 28 () Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who also holds the finance portfolio, on Friday announced a Rs 1,42,343-crore budget in the state assembly here. Khattar, who presented his maiden budget, said that the debt is set to increase to Rs 1.98 lakh crore in 2020-21 as against Rs 1.76 lakh crore in the previous fiscal. He further stated that the expenditure will increase to Rs 1,42,343 crore, a rise by 7.7 per cent. Revenue receipts are expected to increase by 15.96 per cent in 2020-21 to Rs 89,964 crore, he said. The government has allocated Rs 5,474.25 crore to agriculture, Rs 19,343 crore to education and sports and culture, Rs 6,533 crore to health and medical education, Rs 6,294 crore to rural development and panchayat, Rs 349 crore to industries and Rs 9,000 crore to pensions, he said. SUN VSD ANSANS

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