Union Budget 2020: Highlights

News Network

February 1, 2020

When it comes to the economy, dark days do loom large over India. May it be growth (lowest since 2008), inflation (highest in the last six years), or revenue collection (lowest in 10 years), the Indian economy is faltering. Hence, there is little leeway that can be assumed in the incumbent Union Budget 2020 (the first of the decade) if the economy needs to be boosted.

While presenting the decade's first Budget for India, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday in Parliament:

Taxation

• AADHAR based tax verification introduced

• Review of customs duty exemptions in September 2020

• GST refund process simplified

• Electronic invoice implementation in phases

• New digital scheme for tax litigation

• PAN to be instantly allotted online against Aadhar

• Vivaad se Vishwas Scheme: Defaulter to pay only disputed tax and no penalty or interest by 31 March 2020, post which additional amount can be paid till June 2020

• Measure to promote affordable housing - tax holiday extended for developers

• Concession on real estate transactions

• Turnover threshold for audit raised to Rs 5 crore from 1 crore

• Company audit requirements eased

• Taxes on ESOPs (employee stock ownership) in start-ups deferred by 5 years

• 100% per cent tax exemption

• Corporate Tax at 15%

• Dividend Distribution Tax removed, dividend taxed only for recipients

• No tax for 0-5 lakh

• 30% above 15 lakh

• 25% for income between Rs 12.5-15 lakh

• 20% for income between Rs 10-12.5 lakh

• 15% for income between Rs 7.5-10 lakh

• 10% for income between Rs 5-7.5 lakh, against the prevailing 20%

• A new, optional simplified personal income tax regime for those not seeking exemptions

Major steps and initiatives taken by the government in finance

• 3.8 percent fiscal deficit estimated

• GDP nominal growth expected at 10 per cent

• Govt to sell part of holding LIC via IPO (initial public offering)- partial LIC disinvestment

• Partial credit guarantee for NBFCs

• New law for netting of financial contracts

• Mechanism to end liquidity crisis

• NRIs (non resident Indians) can invest in certain govt securities

Aspirational India: Caring society

• App-based invoice financing loans for MSMEs

• Amendment to Factoring Regulation Act to aid MSMEs

• Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDI) Act amendments

• No criminal liabilities for civil acts

• Auto-enrolment in universal pension scheme

• 5958 cr allocated for Ladakh

• 30757 cr allocated for J&K

• Insurance for depositors raised to 5 lakh from 1 lakh

• Robust mechanisms in place to monitor all PSU banks

• Depositors’ money safe

• 100 cr for hosting G20 in 2022

• National Recruitment Agency to be set up

• Tax payers’ charter to be enshrined in statutes

• Amendments for Companies Act

• Tax payer charter proposed to free citizens from tax harassment

• Businesses should have confidence that system is fair

• 4400 crore allocation for clean air and climate change policy

• Aim to reduce carbon footprint - Warning to old thermal plants

• Committed to preserve environment, tackle climate change

• 23150 crore for culture ministry

• 2500 crore for tourism sector

• Institute of Heritage and Conservation to come up soon

• Aim to set up more museums

• 5 archaeological sites to be made iconic

• Proposal to end manual scavenging

• 53700 crore for welfare of STs

• 85000 crore for SCs and OBCs for 2021

• 35600 crore for nutritional schemes

• Gross enrollment ratio of girls higher than boys in elementary level

• Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao - tremendous results

Aspirational India: Infrastructure and economic development

• Further reforms for transparent price discovery for natural gas

• 22000 crore for power sector

• 8000 crore for quantum technology in next 6 years

• Two national level science schemes

• Expand Jan Aushadhi Scheme

• 1 lakh gram panchayats to be connected via Bharat Net

• 6000 crore for Bharat Net

• Data Centre parks to be set up across the country

• National Gas Grid to be expanded

• Reforms to help stressed DISCOMS (distribution companies)

• Delhi-Mumbai Expressway by 2023

• 100 more airports by 2024

• Plans to energise economic activity along river banks

• Need to enhance sea ports

• High Speed Mumbai-Ahmedabad train

• More Tejas-type trains

• 4 station redevelopment projects under PP model

• 2000 km of strategic highways to be built, 11000 km of track electrification

• Accelerated development of highways

• National Logistics Policy to be released soon

• Big push on infrastructure - 100 lakh crore

• National Technical Textiles Mission to be set up

• 1480 crore outlay for textile sector

• 27300 crore for industrial development by 2021

• Digital refund of duties for exporters

• Boost domestic manufacturing - electronic equipment, mobile phone, medical devices

• 5 new smart cities in collaboration with states

• Investment clearance cell to be set up for end to end facilitation

• Entrepreneurship has been the strength of India

Aspirational India: Education and skills

• High need for medical teachers and paramedics

• Internships for engineers in panchayats

• Rs 99300 cr for education sector

• Large hospitals to be encouraged to start PG courses

• Attach medical colleges to district hospitals

• National police university to be set up

• IND-SAT programme for overseas students for studying in India

• New courses in 159 universities by 2026

• Focus on education for jobs

• Propose a fresh education policy

• Urban local bodies should give opportunities to new engineers

• Education needs more finances

Aspirational India: Healthcare

• AI (artificial intelligence) to be used for Ayushman Bharat Scheme

• 69000 crore for health sector

• Propose to set up more hospitals

• Holistic vision for national healthcare

Aspirational India: Agriculture, Irrigation and rural development

• Need to liberalise farm markets

• 108 million metric tonne milk production by 2021

• 2.83 lakh cr allocation for agriculture and irrigation

• Propose raising fish production to 200 lakh tonne

• Zero budget national farming

• NABARD refinance scheme to be expanded

• Village credit card scheme

• Agriculture credit target for 2020 set at Rs 15 lakh crore

• Village storage scheme for farmers, zero budget natural farming

• Dhanya Lakshmi scheme for women in villages

• Krishi Udaan by civil aviation ministry for air transport of such commodities over longer distances

• Indian railways to set up 'kisan rail'

• Govt to provide help to geo-tag warehouses

• Financial inclusion has helped raise farm incomes

• Plan for 100 water stressed districts

• Scheme for 20 lakh farmers to set up solar pumps

• Doubling farm income - model agricultural land leasing act, balanced use of fertilisers, solar pumps for 20 lakh farmers

Budget 2020 and its three focuses

• Budget's first focus is 'Aspirational India'. Second focus: economic development for all. Third focus: building a caring society.

• FDI at 284 billion dollars, achieved 7.84% growth

• GST formalised the economy

• Efficiency gained in logistics

• 16 lakh new tax payers added

• Fundamentals of economy hold strong

• Scaled up implementation of pro-poor schemes

Key challenges FM faces

• India needs to grow by 9 per cent to 10 per cent a year to become the $5 trillion economy by 2024, as projected by the government. The government is now forecasting growth will come in at 5 per cent

• The IMF, which had originally predicted 6.1 per cent growth for India in 2019, has revised that downwards to 4.8 per cent

• The government’s likely to miss its fiscal deficit target for the current fiscal year of 3.3 per cent and hike its target to as much as 4 per cent for the next financial year

• India will struggle to achieve 5 per cent GDP growth in 2020 - Economist Steve Hanke, Johns Hopkins University

• Investment is forecast to grow at less than 1 per cent -- the lowest since 2004-05

• India's unemployment rate rose to 7.5 per cent during September-December 2019 quarter, according to data released by think-tank Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy

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Standalone shops of cell phones, garments, hardware allowed to open during lockdown, but not markets

News Network

April 25,2020

New Delhi, Apr 25: Neighbourhood and standalone shops, including those selling garments, mobile phones, hardware and stationery items have been allowed to open but those located in market places, malls and COVID-19 hotspots and containment zones, will continue to remain shut till May 3.

In rural areas, all shops, except those in single and multi-brand shopping malls, are allowed to open.

However, a Home Ministry official said the final decision of whether to allow the additional shops to open or not will be taken by the state governments and Union Territory administrations depending on their respective COVID-19 situation.

While allowing opening of more shops, a move seen as a relief to people who have been under lockdown since March 24, the government order issued on Friday night said the shops will be functioning with 50 per cent of workforce and after adhering strictly to precautions which include social distancing and wearing of masks.

The Union Home Ministry also said malls, liquor and cigarette shops, sale of non-essential items through e-commerce platforms continue to remain shut.

Restaurants, hair salons and barber shops will not be allowed to open as these render services and do not fall under the shop category.

Amending its April 15 order, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said in the Friday night order that "all shops, including neighbourhood shops and standalone shops, shops in residential complexes, within the limits of municipal corporations and municipalities, registered under the the Shops and Establishment Act of the respective State and UT" will be allowed to open during the lockdown.

The ministry also said shops located in registered markets located outside the municipal corporations and municipalities can open after following the drill of social distancing and wearing of masks but with 50 per cent of strength.

However, single and multi-brands shall continue to remain closed in these areas also.

"All shops registered under the the Shops and Establishment Act of the respective State/UT, including shops in residential complexes and market complexes, except shops in multi-brand and single brand malls, outside the limits of municipal corporations and municipalities, with 50 per cent strength of workers with wearing of masks and social distancing being mandatory" will be allowed to function, the order said.

In a statement on Saturday, the Home Ministry said the order implies that in rural areas, all shops, except those in shopping malls are allowed to open.

In urban areas, all standalone shops, neighbourhood shops and shops in residential complexes are allowed to open.

Shops in markets and market complexes and shopping malls are not allowed to open.

"It is clarified that sale by e-commerce companies will continue to be permitted for essential goods only," the order said and also added that sale of liquor and other items continues to be prohibited as specified in the national directives for COVID-19 management.

The ministry said that liquor shops were given licence under the Excise Act of the states and the establishments thrown open from Saturday were covered under the Shops and Establishment Act of the states.

Sale of cigarettes, gutka are continue to be prohibited during the lockdown.

"As specified in the consolidated revised guidelines, these shops will not be permitted to open in areas, whether rural or urban, which are declared as containment zones by respective States and Union Territories," the statement said.

The lockdown was first announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 in a bid to combat the coronavirus pandemic. It was further extended till May 3.

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Magsaysay Award winner Sandeep Pandey booked for criticizing Savarkar

Agencies

January 22,2020

Aligarh, Jan 22: An FIR has been lodged against social activist and Magsaysay Award winner Sandeep Pandey for his remarks on Savarkar.

Speaking to media, CO Civil Lines, Anil Samania said, "A complaint is lodged by Rajiv Kumar Ashish, national vice-president of All India Hindu Mahasabha against Magsaysay Award winner Sandeep Pandey in connection with indecent remarks on Veer Savarkar. An FIR is lodged based on this complaint under sections 153 and 505 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)."

"An investigation is underway. Pandey came to the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) where he made a speech in which he made the alleged indecent remarks," he added.

Comments

Veer Savarkar? LOL

come on CD...he is british boot licker

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With 6,566 more cases, India's COVID-19 tally reaches 1,58,333

News Network

May 28,2020

New Delhi, May 28: With 6,566 more coronavirus cases and 194 deaths reported in the past 24 hours, India's COVID-19 tally reached 1,58,333 on Thursday, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Affairs.

The number of active coronavirus cases stands at 86,110, while 67,692 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, it said. The death toll due to the infection has reached 4,531 in the country.

Maharashtra is the worst affected state with 56,948 cases. Tamil Nadu has recorded as many as 18,545 cases while Gujarat and Delhi have recorded 15,195 and 15,257 coronavirus cases respectively.

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