Union Budget 2011-12 Highlights

Union Budget 2011-12

• AC restaurants serving liquor & AC hospitals with beds more than 25 in the ambit of Service Tax.
• Service tax on air travel up to Rs 50 for domestic travel and Rs 250 for international travel in economy class; on higher classes, it will be 10 per cent flat.
• Customs duty on raw silk reduced from 30 to 5 per cent.
• Some legal services to be brought under service tax net; service by individual to another individual exempted.
• 20% export duty for iron ore.
• Custom duty on Pet Coke and Gypsum to minimized to 2.5%.
• No new tax exemption limit for women.
• Mandatory levy of 10 pct on branded garments.
• Budget estimates for 2011-12 projects- Rs 9,32,440 crore.
• No change in Central excise duty rate. Base rate on excise duty raised from 4% to 5%.
• Surcharge rate reduced from 7.5 percent to 5 percent for domestic companies.
• Hike in exemption IT limit from Rs 1.6 lakh to Rs 1.8 lakh.
• New series of coins with new rupee symbol expected.
• Simplify tax collection procedure.
• 1 million UID cards to be distributed per day shortly.
• Targeting to reduce deficit to 4.6% for the upcoming fiscal year.
• Plan and Non-Plan expenditure to be increased by 23%.
• BPL pension eligibility age limit reduced.
• Group formed to monitor corruption;will start implementing from 62 dept. in first phase.
• Amendment of Indian Stamp Act shortly.
• Simplified form 'Sugam' for small tax payers.
• Rs 1.64 lakh crore for Defence.
• Rs 1000 crore to build judicial infrastructure.
• Group of ministers to sort out Environmental concerns.
• 1000 crore for improvising judiciary system.
• Rs 8,000 cr to Northeast.
• 60 schemes for SC/ST to be implemented.
• Rs 100 crore for Ladakh.
• Rs 150 crore for Jammu.
• Pension amount increased for 80 years and above.
• Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme eligibility revised from 65 to 60 years.
• Rs 200 cr grant to IIT Kharagpur.
• Rs 20 crore to IIM Calcutta.
• 50 Crore to muslim universities in different states.
• 58,000 crore for Bharat Nirman Schemes: FM
• State Innovation Council in each state to be set up.
• Remuneration of anganwadi workers raised from Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,000 a month. Helpers to get Rs 1,500 from Rs 750.
• Independent debt management office to be established.
• Rs 1.6 lakh crore to be spent on social projects.
• Current a/c gap a concern due to composition of FX flows: FM
• Establishment of national policy on psychotic drugs, narcotics.
• Tax free infra bonds worth Rs 30000 cr for PSBs proposed.
• 15 mega food parks to be set up.
• Infrastructure spending increased by 23%.
• Rs 30K crore tax free bonds to be provided for railways.
• Financial assistance to be provide to Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata metro projects.
• Allocation under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana to be increased to Rs 7860 crore.
• Promote organic farming.
• GDP manufacturing, targeting 16-25 % increase in next 10 years.
• Rs 300 cr to cultivate pulses in rain-fed areas;Rs 300 cr for the promotion of farm product cultivation.
• Provide Rs 6000cr for PSU bank recapitalization.
• FM: Micro finance companies to be provided with Rs 100 crore equity funds.
• Extension of NBS for urea to be analyzed.
• Home loan limit increased.
• Rs 300 cr for improving pulses production.
• Rural infrastructure development fund to be raised to 180 billion Rupees for the coming fiscal year.
• Grant 1% interest on home loans upto 50 lakhs.
• Mortage Risk Guarantee fund for rural housing to be set up.
• Rs 5,000 cr to be provided to SIDBI to meet priority lending targets.
• Rs 2000 crore for warehousing facilities.
• Rs 2,000 cr for manufacturing facilities.
• Allocation of Rs 6000 cr for some PSU banks.
• Only registered FII's to be associated with Indian MF industry.
• Rs 40,000cr to be raised via disinvestment.
• GST bill to be introduced in current session.
• Extension of NBS to cover urea under review: FM
• 500 crore proposed for empowering women.
• Micro finance institutes proposed for 100 crore.
• 300 crore to be provided to NABARD.
• FBI to regularize banking amendments.
• Ensures better delivery of urea, kerosene.
• FII allow to trade amongst themselves.
• FBI policy to be regularized.
• Public Debt Management Bill to be introduced in 2012.
• Pranab sees Budget 2011-12 as transition towards a transparent and result-oriented economic management.
• Public sector undertaking to be increased.
• Direct transfer of cash subsidy to downtrodden.
• Average inflation and current account deficit to be minimized by next year: FM
• Compensation of Rs 9 lakh to be given to defence and Central paramilitary forces for permanent disability and discharge from service.
• Govt. to reconsider ecological concerns.
• Tremendous growth in exports-29.4%.
• Food inflation down from 22.2% to 9.3 %. But still is a major concern, says FM.
• Budget to ensure more transparent economy.
• Focus on supply side issues in agriculture.
• Pranab: Work on food inflation.
• Stabilize the macro economic situation.
• Budget 2011 approved by Cabinet.
• Pranab: Impressive fiscal consolidation
• Pranab Mukherjee begins the speech.