Thread: Indian Budget 2008-09- HIGHLIGHTS

Keeping inflation under check to be the focus

Agriculture disappointing at average annual growth of 2.6%

Soyabean output to be 9.45 mn tonnes

Maize production to be 16.78 mn tonnes

Rice production to be 94.08 mn tonnes

Total agri production to be 219.32 mn tonnes at all time high

Agri credit doubled in first two years

Focus on achievement of self-sufficiency in food grain

Agriculture credit to touch 2,40,000 cr in 2008

Gross Budgetary support to be Rs 243,386 cr about Rs 38,286 cr more than 2007-08

Education & health to get 20% more from Rs 28,674 cr to Rs 34,4000

Bharat Nirman allocation to go up from Rs 31,280 cr from Rs 24,603 cr

About 6,000 high quality schools to be built by 2009

3 IITs to be set up in Bihar, AP, Rajasthan

16 new Central universities to be built

Bhopal and Tripura to get one IIScR each and 2 colleges of art

410 additional Kasturba Gandhi Vidyalaya to be set up in backward blocks.

Navodaya Vidyalayas to be opened in 20 districts with special focus on regions having SC/ST concentration. Allocation of Rs 130 crore for this purpose.

Healthcare allocation to be raised by 15%

Rs 85 crore sanctioned for scholarships to students pursuing science education.

NRHM to get Rs 1,250 cr budgetary allocation

Allocation for ICDS increased to Rs 6300 crore.

A national programme for the elderly to be started at a cost of Rs. 400 crore.

Rs 992 crore for national AIDS programme

Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna for 30,000 workers in organised sector in BPL category

IT industry gets Rs 100 cr for connecting knowledge institutions

NREGS to be extended to 596 rural distt with an ouutlay of Rs 16,000cr

The remuneration 9 of Angan Bari workers has been increased from Rs 100 cr-1500 cr per month

Rs 200 cr for providing portable water system in each school in areas of water scarce regions

NE region to continue getting special attention

Sanitation to get Rs 1,200 cr

Allocation of Rs 75 cr for 2008-09 for the Rajiv Gandhi felicitation programme

Rs 3,966 cr for SC/STs schemes

Rajiv Gandhi drinking water mission to get Rs 7,300 cr

54 departments to be set up gender budgeting divisions

288 public sector bank branches to be opened in areas with concentration of minorities

Schemes for woman to get Rs 11,460 cr this fiscal

Child related schemes to get Rs 33,434 cr

Mobilisation of additional resources of Rs 10,000 cr as planned capital expenditure under Plan-B

Allocation for ministry of mioinorities doubled to Rs 1,000 cr

Schemes for woman to get Rs 11,460 cr this fiscal

Agriculture share in total investment up from 10.2% in 2003-04 to 16% during the 11th Plan

Agri credit traget to be Rs 2,80,000 cr for 2008-09

LIC to cover all woman SHGs linked to the bank

500 soil testing labs to be set up in the 11th plan, govt to give 1 time budgetary assistance of Rs 75 cr to agri ministry

for settingt up mobile soil testing facilities

National Horticulure Mission to get Rs 1,100 cr

Micro irrigation scheme gets Rs 500 cr to cover 4,00,000 additional hectares

Govt sets up irrigation and water resource finance corp with an initial corpus of Rs 100 cr

Schedule Commercial Banks farm credit 75%