Budget Highlights-4

* Current account deficit down to $14.4 billion

• Rs.2.87 lakh crore for rural and urban local bodies

  • Animal welfare programme, animal health card, e-marketing platform for connecting breeders

  • 100 percent village electrification to be achieved by May 1, 2018

  • Appreciation for 75 lakh middle class and lower middle class families for willingly giving up LPG Subsidy

  • Rs.19,000 crore allotted for PMGSY

  • Rs.8.5 lakh crore of agricultural credit targetted in 2015-16; and Rs.9 lakh crore in 2016-17

  • Rs.35,984 crore allocated for agriculture in 2016-17

  • Five lakh acres to be brought under organic farming over three-year period

  • MGNREGA to get Rs.38,500 crore

  • Recapitalisation of banks during next fiscal

  • Prudent fiscal policy needed, domestic demand should be raised, reforms need to be carried out

  • Farm, rural sector, infra and social sector to get more funds

  • Need to prioritise expenditure given recommendations of 7th Pay Commission and OROP implementation

  • Nine pillars for reforming India, among them agriculture, social sector, education, infra, fiscal discipline, and tax reforms

  • Presenting budget when global economy in a serious crisis

  • Amidst global headwinds, the Indian economy has held its own

  • Converted challenges we inherited into opportunities

  • CPI inflation down to 5.4 percent from 9 percent-plus, bringing big relief to the public

  • Forex reserves at highest-ever level