Planning Commission lowers the poverty line

The Planning Commission released the latest poverty estimates for the country showing a decline in the incidence of poverty by 7.3 per cent over the past five years and stating that anyone with a daily consumption expenditure of Rs. 28.35 and Rs. 22.42 in urban and rural areas respectively is above the poverty line.

The new poverty estimates for 2011-12 will only add to the furore triggered by the Commission's affidavit in the Supreme Court in October in which the BPL cap was pegged at an expenditure of Rs. 32 and Rs. 26 by an individual in the urban and rural areas respectively at the going rate of inflation in 2010-11.

Eventually, Union Minister of Rural Development Jairam Ramesh and Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia jointly set aside the cap suggested by the Tendulkar Committee and set up a new committee to work out a new methodology for identifying the BPL households. As per the Household Consumer Expenditure Survey for 2009-10, 29.9 per cent of the population alone were under the Below Poverty Line (BPL) from 37.2 per cent in 2004-05. 

Rural poverty

Rural poverty has declined by eight percentage points, from 41.8 per cent to 33.8 per cent, and urban poverty by 4.8 per cent, from 25.7 per cent to 20.9 per cent.

At the national level, anyone earning Rs. 672.8 monthly that is earning Rs. 22.42 per day in the rural area and Rs. 859.6 monthly or Rs. 28.35 per day in the urban area is above the poverty line. Population as on March 1, 2010 has been used for estimating the number of persons below the poverty line.

The total number of people below the poverty line in the country is 35.46 crore as against 40.72 crore in 2004-05. In rural areas, the number has come down from 32.58 crore five years ago to 27.82 crore and the urban BPL number stands at 7.64 crore as against 8.14 crore five years ago.

One of the most astonishing revelations is that poverty has actually gone up in the north-eastern States of Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland.

Even big States such as Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh registered only a marginal decline in poverty ratio, particularly in the rural areas, whereas States such as Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Uttarakhand saw about 10 per cent decline in poverty over the past years.

States with high incidence of poverty are Bihar at (53.5 per cent), Chhattisgarh (48.7 per cent), Manipur (47.1 per cent), Jharkhand (39.1), Assam (37.9 per cent) and Uttar Pradesh (37.7 per cent).

However, it is in poverty-ridden Odisha that monthly per head expenditure of just Rs. 567.1 and Rs. 736 in rural and urban areas respectively puts one above the poverty line, while in Nagaland, where the incidence of poverty has gone up, the per capita consumption expenditure of Rs. 1016.8 and Rs. 1147.6 in rural and urban areas puts one above the poverty level.

Among social groups in the rural areas, Scheduled Tribes (47.4 per cent) suffer the highest level of poverty, followed by Scheduled Castes (42.3 per cent), Other Backward Castes (31.9 per cent) as against. 33.8 per cent for all classes.

In rural Bihar and Chhattisgarh, nearly two-third of the SCs and the STs are poor where as in States like Manipur, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh it is more than 50 per cent.

In urban areas, 34.1 per cent of SCs, 30.4 of STs and 24.3 per cent OBCs fall under this category against 20.9 per cent for all classes.

India displaces China as world’s largest arms importer

India is the world’s largest recipient of arms while South Korea is second and Pakistan and China are third in the list, reveals data on international arms transfers published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
The volume of worldwide arms transfers in 2007-11 was 24 percent higher than in 2002-06 and the five largest arms importers in 2007-11 were all Asian states, said a press communique.
India‘s neighbourChinawas the largest recipient of arms exports in 2002-06, but it fell to fourth place in 2007-11. Between 2002-06 and 2007-11, the volume of Chinese arms exports increased by 95 percent and nowChinaranks as the sixth largest supplier of arms in the world.

Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Awards for 2010

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has announced the annual awards and commendation certificates for the seventeenth prestigious Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Awards for the year 2010.

The Best of All Awards has been won by

• Vikram Cement Works (A unit of Ultratech Cement Limited),
• Khor, Madhya Pradesh.

The other category award winners include

• Ashok Leyland Limited, Bhandara,
• Maharashtra (Large Scale Manufacturing Industry);
• Kudale Instruments Private Limited, Pune, Maharashtra (Small Scale Manufacturing Industry);
• Chaitanya Hospital, Chandigarh, Punjab (Small Scale Service Industry).

About The Award:

1. Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Award was instituted by the Bureau of Indian Standards in 1991.
2. With a view to encouraging Indian manufacturing and service organizations to strive for excellence and giving special recognition to those who are considered to be the leaders of quality movement in India.
3. The award has been named after our Late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, recognizing the new thrust he had given to the quality movement in India so that India could move into 21st Century with pride.
4. Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Award is an annual feature on the basis of financial year.  The 2008 award will be considered for results achieved by the organization from 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008.

Benefits to the Applicant Organization:

•  It will enable the organization to assess its own level of commitment to quality.  It will also indicate the extent to which this commitment is being deployed through every level of the organization and in all areas of activities.
•   Further, after the process of self assessment is completed, the organization will be in a position to analyze its strengths and weaknesses.

Civil Services (IAS) Preliminary Examination 2012: Strategy for Paper-I

Paper-I of civil services preliminary examination is of two hours duration and 200 marks. The topics covered under this paper include Current events of national and international importance, History of India and Indian National Movement, Indian and World Geography, Indian Polity and Governance, Economic and Social Development, General Science and General Issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change.

Radical Shift in Pattern

Last two years have seen a drastic change in the nature of questions asked in this paper. The questions nowbeing asked are very conceptual and not factual in nature. Students would do well by keeping last ten years question papers with them while preparing for this paper. A close comparison of the question papers will reveal this difference to the students. The students should always keep this difference in mind while preparing and should not be tempted to memorize too many facts as it used to be the case for prelims preparation earlier. Any disregard for this critical difference will render the preparation futile and counterproductive

General Issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change

This is a new section introduced last year with a potential of claiming an increasing share in the number of questions being asked in the coming years. Students would do well by going through the class XI and XII NCERT biology books which has some of the chapters on Environment. Students should also frequently visit the web sites of various international environmental organizations and conventions like UNFCCC(United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), CITES(Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species), WWF, Ramsar Convention, Stockholm Convention, Nairobi Convention for ship breaking, Kyoto Protocol, etc  to equip themselves with various terminologies and new treaties being signed and their latest developments. It would also be beneficial to acquaint oneself with the latest technology in making the environment greener and pollution free and with less GHG emissions like CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lamps).

Indian Polity

Apart from covering the traditional polity area from standard text books like D D Basu special attention should be paid to the polity chapters in the India Year Book like Law and Justice, Social Welfare, Labour etc to score well in this section. Students should also not neglect areas like Panchayati Raj reforms, electoral reforms etc. Special attention should be given to important Constitutional Amendments and landmark judgments by Supreme Court. Students should also go through all the Schedules carefully specially the ones that are often in news like Schedule V, VI and IX. Constitutional and Statutory bodies like Election Commission, CAG, Chief Vigilance Commission etc should also be studied.

General Science

This section has also seen a shift in the pattern in the last two three years. Less number of questions are asked form the traditional areas of biology, physics and chemistry. The technology part of Science now predominates and more questions are from the equipment and technology that we use in our day to day life like CD (Compact Disc), Bluetooth, WiFi, Washing Machine, LED and LCD Televisions etc. The students from non science background should keep this in mind while preparing for this section and not waste too much time on traditional Physics, Chemistry and Biology portion of General Science. Newspapers, Magazines and internet are specially useful in preparing for this section.

Geography  

A large number of questions approximately 18-22 every year are asked from this section of which majority 80-85% is from Indian Geography and the rest from World Geography, General Geography, and Astronomy. From last couple of years the social and economic geography dominates the Indian Geography part of this section. Students should pay special attention to census data, demographic trends, patterns in various industries, agriculture, etc.

Economic and Social Development

This section includes area like Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, and Social Sector Initiatives etc.  Special emphasis should be given to the conceptual understanding of basic economic terms encountered in the day to day reading of newspapers and magazines. Government programmes, policies and schemes should be covered thoroughly as 5-8 questions are assured from this area in some form or the other. Two very reliable source for this area is India Year Book and Economic Survey. 

Current events of national and international importance

This section is the underlying theme of all the above topics discussed above and questions that do not fall in any of the above categories fall in this one. Aspirants should be up to date with current social, political, economic, developments of national and international importance. Students would also do well by keeping track of the information regarding international organizations and international events specially in the Indian neighborhood or the ones having strategic importance for India.
Overall a successful prelims preparation requires both depth and breadth in coverage of the syllable but the former should always be preferred over the latter in case of crunch of time. A positive frame of mind and ‘can do attitude’ should be followed till the last day of the preparation. Regular discussions with serious students/friends also bear good results provided it is done in a time bound manner.

Strategy for Civil Services(IAS) Preliminary Examination 2012

The civil services preliminary examination for 2012 would be held on 20 May based on the new pattern introduced by UPSC in 2011. The preliminary examination would consist of two papers of two hours duration carrying 200 marks each. Paper-I is General Studies and Paper-II is the Aptitude Test. It would be worthwhile to clarify at the very outset that the number of questions for both the papers have not been mentioned by the UPSC and thus subject to change. Preliminary examination 2011 consisted of 100 questions for Paper-I and 80 questions for Paper-II.

Paper-I

Paper-I being the General Studies consists of familiar areas like Current events of national and international importance, History of India and Indian National Movement, Indian and World Geography, Indian Polity and Governance, Economic and Social Development, General Science and General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change. The students should pay special attention to the Environment topic as this is a newly added topic and the number of questions from this section will increase in the coming years. Students would do well by going through the class XI and XII NCERT biology books which has some of the chapters on Environment.

Radical Shift in Pattern

Last two years have seen a drastic change in the nature of questions asked in this paper. The questions now being asked are very conceptual and not factual in nature. Students would do well by keeping last ten years question papers with them while preparing for this paper. A close comparison of the question papers will reveal this difference to the students. The students should always keep this difference in mind while preparing and should not be tempted to memorize too many facts as it used to be in the case of prelims preparation earlier. Any disregard for this critical difference will render the preparation futile and counterproductive.

Paper-II

Paper-II is the aptitude paper having topics like Comprehension, Logical reasoning and analytical ability, Interpersonal skills including communication skills, Decision making and problem solving, General mental ability, Basic numeracy, Data interpretation, and English Language Comprehension skills. Here it is important to make a distinction between Comprehension and English Language Comprehension. Comprehension section tests the comprehension knowledge of the student so it will be both in English and Hindi. Questions relating to English Language Comprehension skills of Class X level (last item in the Syllabus of Paper-II) will be tested through passages from English language only without providing Hindi translation thereof in the question paper. This passage is relatively easier than the passage falling under the comprehension section as it merely intends to check the basic English language skill. The students should in no case leave or miss these passages in a hurry to complete any other section as it is easier to score well in these passages. A general and sound advice for Paper-II is regular practice even if it is only two hours every day.

Mathematics
The mathematics section for civil services preliminary examination (which includes Logical reasoning and analytical ability, General mental ability, Basic numeracy, Data interpretation) has a different flavor as compared to bank or management exams. The questions are not too calculative in nature rather more conceptual so once the student identifies the correct concept the question is solved. This was the nature across all mathematics questions last year. Thus students are advised to work more on the conceptual understanding than the speed. The detailed preparation strategy for this section will be discussed in a separate article.

Decision Making

The questions on decision making are compulsory questions as there is no negative marking rather the options have differential marking. For e,g option (a) may fetch 50% of the total score while option (b) 75% and option (c) 25% and option (d) 100%. Thus a student should not leave any of these questions as at worst it will fetch 25% of the total marks assigned to the question. The questions in the decision making section are of the common sense nature so the students should not waste too much time in preparing for this section.

Comprehension 

The distinction between two comprehension sections has already been made in this article. The key to do well in the comprehension section is to strike a balance between speed and accuracy. Neither of them should be sacrificed for the other. While practicing comprehension students should keep in mind that they should select passages from different areas like Science, Philosophy, Economics, Art and Litterateur etc. This will equip them in dealing effectively with any kind of passage that they might encounter in the examination. A suitable source for practicing comprehension is picking up passages from any standard Year Book for civil services or the ones that are available in the coaching material packages. The detailed preparation strategy for this section will be discussed in a separate article.

Case for new models of funding infra projects

With the country facing severe infrastructure constraints and slow pace of implementation of mega projects, the Economic Survey called for putting in place new models of financing the infra sector to meet the funding requirement of $1 trillion in the XII Plan.

“In view of the massive requirement of funds, all efforts need to be made to attract big-ticket long-term investors such as strategic investors, private equity funds, pension funds, and sovereign funds,''' the Survey says.

“There is a need for introducing more innovative schemes to attract large-scale investment into infrastructure.

“Strengthening domestic financial institutions and development of a long-term bonds market may be critical,'' it states.

Stating that 50 per cent of the projected investment will come from the private sector in the next Five Year Plan, the Survey says, financing infrastructure will, therefore, be a big challenge in the coming years and will require some innovative ideas and new models of financing.

Taking a cue from the realisation of investment targets for infrastructure during the current Plan, the survey expresses hope that financing of the ambitious XII Plan investment target will be possible.

According to the Survey, bank credit to projects in the sector had witnessed a healthy growth of 48.4 per cent annually during 2006-11, increasing from Rs.30,286 crore during 2006-07 to Rs.1,46,767 crore during 2010-11. However, credit growth has turned negative in the current financial year and at Rs.70,155 crore, net credit to the infrastructure sector during April-December, 2011, was nearly 61 per cent lower than the same period of last fiscal, it noted. 

Private participation

The Survey also calls for creating a conducive environment for private sector participation with a transparent and credible regulatory mechanism for financing the infrastructure projects to reduce the pressure on public-sector funding.

Emphasising that the performance in core infrastructure sectors is still to a large extent dependent on public sector projects, the Survey says, in the next Five Year Plan, the public sector investment will need to increase to over Rs.22.50 lakh crore, a rise of over 71 per cent than the current Plan.

Union Budget 2012-13: Sector Based Allocation

Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukharjee presented the annual budget for the fiscal year 2012-13 in the parliament on 16 March 2012.
The Union Minister of Finance came up with an increased budgetary allocation for various sectors including agriculture, rural development, defence etc. While, the Plan Outlay for Department of Agriculture and Co-operation increased by 18 percent, the target for agricultural credit raised by 100000 crore rupees to 575000 crore rupees. Budgetary allocation for rural drinking water and sanitation received a hike of over 27 per cent. Flagship programmes like Right to Education-Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan received an increase of 21.7 per cent in the budgetary allocation.

Some of the major allocations made for different sectors of economy are as follows:

Agriculture and Allied Activities

• Budgetary allocation for agriculture and allied activities 2012-13 increased by 18%
• 9217 crore rupees allocated for Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.
• 1000 crore rupees for Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India (BGREI) project
• 300 crore rupees to Vidarbha Intensified Irrigation Development Programme under RKVY.
• 200 crore rupees allocated for incentivising research with rewards
• 14242 crore rupees allocated for Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP)
• 500 crore rupees provided to broaden scope of production of fish to coastal aquaculture

Rural Development

• 14,000 crore rupees allocated for rural drinking water and sanitation
• 24000 crore rupees allocated for Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojna
• 12040 crore rupees provided for Backward Regions Grant Fund scheme
• 20,000 crore rupees allocated for Rural Infrastructure Development Fund
• 5000 crore  rupees earmarked for creating warehousing facilities

Education
• Sarva Siksha Abhiyan-Right to Education- 25555 crore rupees
• 3124 crore rupees provided for Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA)

Health

• 20822 crore rupees National Rural Health Mission

Employment and skill development
• 3915 crore rupees provided for National Rural Livelihood Mission
• 1276 crore rupees allocated for Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme
• 1000 crore rupees allocated for National Skill Development Fund

Defence and Security
• 193407 crore rupees aallocated for Defence services including 79579crore rupees for capital expenditure
• 1185 crore rupees to be allocated for construction of nearly 4000 residential quarters for Central Armed Police Forces
• 3280 crore rupees proposed to be allocated for construction of office building of CentralArmed Police Forces

Infrastructure and Industrial Development

• 25360 crore rupees allocated for Road Transport and Highways Ministry
• 3884 crore rupees loan waiver for handloom weavers and their cooperative societies
• 500 crore rupees pilot scheme announced for promotion and application of Geo-textile in the North Eastern Region
• 70 crore rupees allocated to set up a powerloom mega cluster in Ichalkaranji in Maharashtra
• 5000 crore rupees India Opportunities Venture Fund to be set up with SIDBI
• 15888 crore rupees to be provided for capitalisation of public sector banks and financial institutions

Other major allocations

• 37113 crore rupees allocated for Scheduled Castes Sub Plan
• 21710 crore rupees earmarked for Tribal Sub Plan

Capitals, Governors and Chief Ministers of States

States	Capitals	Governors	Chief Ministers
(1) Andhra Pradesh	Hyderabad	Mr. E.S.L.Narasimhan	Mr. N.Kiran Kumar Reddy
(2) Arunachal Pradesh	Itanagar	Gen. (Retd.) J. J. Singh	Mr. Jarbom Gamlin
(3) Assam	Dispur	Mr. J. B. Patnaik	Mr. Tarun Gogoi
(4) Bihar	Patna	Mr. Devanand Konwar	Mr. Nitish Kumar
(5) Chhattisgarh	Raipur	Mr. Shekhar Dutt	Dr. Raman Singh
(6) Goa	Panaji	Mr. K. Sankaranarayan	Mr. Digambar V. Kamat
(7) Gujarat	Gandhinagar	Dr. Kamla	Mr. Narendra Modi
(8) Haryana	Chandigarh	Mr. Jagannath Pahadia	Mr. Bhupinder S. Hooda
(9) Himachal Pradesh	Shimla	Ms. Urmila Singh	Mr. Prem Kumar Dhumal
(10) Jammu and Kashmir	Srinagar (Summer) Jammu (Winter)	Mr. N. N. Vohra	Mr. Omar Abdullah
(11) Jharkhand	Ranchi	Dr. Syed Ahmed	Mr. Arjun Munda
(12) Karnataka	Bengaluru	Mr. Hans Raj Bhardwaj	Mr. DV Sadananda Gowda
(13) Kerala	Thiruvananthapuram	Mr. M. O. H. Farook	Mr. V. S. Achuthanandan
(14) Madhya Pradesh	Bhopal	Mr. Ram Naresh Yadav	Mr. Shivraj Singh Chauhan
(15) Maharashtra	Mumbai	Mr. K. Sankaranarayan	Mr. Prithviraj Chavan
(16) Manipur	Imphal	Mr. Gurbachan Jagat	Mr.Okram Ibobi Singh
(17) Meghalaya	Shillong	Mr. R. S. Mooshahary	Mr. Mukul A. Sangma
(18) Mizoram	Aizawl	Mr. Vakkom Purushothaman	Mr.Lalthanhawla
(19) Nagaland	Kohima	Mr. Nikhil Kumar	Mr. Neiphiu Rio
(20) Odisha	Bhubaneswar	Mr. M. C. Bhandare	Mr. Naveen Patnaik
(21) Punjab	Chandigarh	Mr. Shivraj V. Patil	Mr. Parkash Singh Badal
(22) Rajasthan	Jaipur	Mr. Shivraj V. Patil (Acting)	Mr. Ashok Gehlot
(23) Sikkim	Gangtok	Mr. Balmiki Prasad Singh	Mr. Pawan Chamling
(24) Tamil Nadu	Chennai	Mr. K Rosaiah	Ms. Jayalalithaa
(25) Tripura	Agartala	Mr. D. Y. Patil	Mr. Manik Sarkar
(26) Uttarakhand	Dehradun	Ms. Margaret Alva	Mr. Vijay Bahuguna
(27) Uttar Pradesh	Lucknow	Mr. B. L. Joshi	Mr. Akhilesh Yadav
(28) West Bengal	Kolkata	Mr. M. K. Narayanan	Ms. Mamata Banerjee

Sachin Tendulkar becomes first to score 100 international centuries

India's Sachin Tendulkar on March 16 became the first batsman in history to score 100 international centuries, adding another milestone in his record-breaking career.

Tendulkar, who turns 39 next month, achieved the feat when he recorded his 49th one-day century in the Asia Cup match against Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Dhaka. He has 51 Test hundreds.

The Mumbai batsman, who has compiled more Test and one-day runs than anyone in history, reached the record with a single, marking the moment with a modest glance to the sky while pointing to the Indian flag on his helmet.

Tendulkar is the most capped player in the history of the game with 188 Test and 462 one-day appearances since making his debut against Pakistan in Karachi in November, 1989.

Millions of fans in India and across the cricketing world endured an anxious year-long wait before Tendulkar finally reached the landmark in the four-nation tournament, the symbol of one-day supremacy in the continent.

He scored his 99th ton during a World Cup match against South Africa in Nagpur on March 12 last year, but failed to add to the tally on subsequent tours of England and Australia and a home series against the West Indies.

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting is the second batsman on the all-time list with 71 international centuries.

Following is the sequence of Sachin Tendulkar’s 100 international hundreds since his debut against Pakistan back in December, 1989.

1) 119 no vs England at Old Trafford on Aug 14, ‘90

2) 148 no India vs Australia at SCG on Jan 6,’92

3) 114 vs Australia at WACA, Perth on Feb 3, ‘92

4) 111 vs SA at Wanderers, Johannesburg on Nov 28, ‘92

5) 165 vs England at Chepauk, Chennai on Feb 12, ‘93

6) 104 no vs Sri Lanka at SSC, Colombo on Jul 31,’93

7) 142 vs SL at KDSB Stadium, Lucknow on Jan 19,’94

8) 110 vs Australia, at RPS, Colombo, on Sep 9, ‘94

9) 115 vs New Zealand at IPCL, Vadodara on Oct 28, ‘94

10) 105 vs West Indies at SMS, Jaipur on Nov 11, ‘94

11) 179 vs West Indies at VCA Ground, Nagpur on Dec 2,’94

12) 112 no vs Sri Lanka at Sharjah on Apr 9, ‘95

13) 127 no vs Kenya at Barabati, Cuttack on Feb 18, ‘96

14) 137 vs Sri Lanka at Kotla, New Delhi on Mar 2, ‘96

15) 100 vs Pakistan at Padang, Singapore, on Apr 5, ‘96

16) 118 vs Pakistan at Sharjah on Apr 15, ‘96

17) 122 vs England at Edgbaston, Birmingham, on Jun 8, ‘96

18) 177 vs England at Nottingham on Jul 5, ‘96

19) 110 vs Sri Lanka at RPS Colombo, on August 28, ‘96

20) 114 vs SA at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Dec 14, ‘96

21) 169 vs SA at Newlands, Cape Town on Jan 4, ‘97

22) 104 vs Zimbabwe at Benoni on Feb 9, ‘97

23) 117 vs NZ at Chinnaswamy, Bangalore, on May 14, ‘97

24) 143 vs Sri Lanka at RPS, Colombo, on Aug 3, ‘97

25) 139 vs Sri Lanka at SSC, Colombo, on Aug 11, ‘97

26) 148 vs SL at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Dec 4, ‘97

27) 155 No vs Australia at Chepauk, Chennai, on Mar 9, ‘98

28) 177 vs Aus at Chinnaswamy, Bangalore on March 26, ‘98

29) 100 vs Australia at Green Park, Kanpur, on Apr 7, ‘98

30) 143 vs Australia at Sharjah on Apr 22, ‘98

31) 134 vs Australia, Sharjah, on April 24, ‘98

32) 100 no vs Kenya, Eden Gardens, May 31, ‘98

33) 128 vs Sri Lanka at RPS, Colombo, on Jul 7, ‘98

34) 127 vs Zimbabwe at Bulawayo on Sep 26, ‘98

35) 141 vs Australia in Bangladesh on Oct 28, ‘98

36) 118 no vs Zimbabwe at Sharjah, on Nov 8, ‘98

37) 124 vs Zimbabwe at Sharjah on Nov 13, ‘98

38) 113 vs New Zealand at Wellington, on Dec 29, ‘98

39) 136 vs Pakistan at Chepauk, Chennai on Jan 31, ‘99

40) 124 no vs Sri Lanka at SSC, Colombo, on Feb 28, ‘99

41) 140 vs Kenya at Bristol, on May 23, ‘99

42) 120 vs Sri Lanka in Colombo, on Aug 29, ‘99

43) 126 no vs New Zealand at PCA, Mohali, on Oct 13, ‘99

44) 217 vs NZ at Motera, Ahmedabad, on Oct 30, ‘99

45) 186 vs New Zealand at Hyderabad on Nov 8, ‘99

46) 116 vs Australia at MCG on Dec 28, ‘99

47) 122 vs South Africa at Vadodara on Mar 17, ‘00

48) 101 vs Sri Lanka, Sharjah, Oct 20,’00

49) 122 vs Zimbabwe at Kotla, New Delhi, on Nov 21, ‘00

50) 201 no vs Zimbabwe at VCA, Nagpur, on Nov 26, ‘00

51) 146 vs Zimbabwe at Jodhpur, on Dec 8, ‘00

52) 126 vs Australia at Chepauk, Chennai on Mar 20, ‘01

53) 139 vs Australia at Indore on Mar 31, ‘01

54) 122 vs West Indies at Harare on Jul 4, ‘01

55) 101 vs SA at Wanderers, Johannesburg on Oct 5, ‘01

56) 146 vs Kenya at Paarl, South Africa, on Oct 24, ‘01

57) 155 vs SA at Goodyear Park, Bloemfontein, Nov 3, ‘01

58) 103 vs England at Motera, Ahmedabad, on Dec 13, ‘01

59) 176 vs Zimbabwe at VCA, Nagpur, on Feb 24, ‘02

60) 117 vs WI at QP Oval, Port of Spain, on Apr 20, ‘02

61) 105 vs England at Chester—Le—Street on Jul 4, ‘02

62) 113 vs Sri Lanka, Bristol, England, on Jul 11, ‘02

63) 193 vs England at Headingley, Leeds, on Aug 23, ‘02

64) 176 vs WI at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Nov 3, ‘02

65) 152 vs Namibia, Pietermaritzburg, SA, on Feb 23, ‘03

66) 100 vs Australia, Gwalior, on Oct 26,’03

67) 102 vs New Zealand in Hyderabad on Nov 15, ‘03

68) 241 no vs Australia at SCG on Jan 4, ‘04

69) 141 vs Pakistan in Rawalpindi, on Mar 16, ‘04

70) 194 no vs Pakistan at Multan, on Mar 29, ‘04

71) 248 no vs Bangladesh in Dhaka, on Dec 12, ‘04

72) 123 vs Pakistan at Ahmedabad on Apr 12, ‘05

73) 109 vs Sri Lanka at Kotla, New Delhi, on Dec 22, ‘05

74) 100 vs Pakistan at Peshawar, on February 6, ‘06

75) 141 no vs WI at Kuala Lumpur, on Sept 14, ‘06

76) 100 no vs WI at Vadodara, on Jan 31, ‘07

77) 101 vs Bangladesh in Chittagong on May 19, ‘07

78) 122 no vs Bangladesh in Mirpur on May 26, ‘07

79) 154 no vs Australia at SCG, on Jan 4, ‘08

80) 153 vs Australia at Adelaide Oval, on Jan 25, ‘08

81) 117 no vs Australia at SCG on Mar 2, ‘08

82) 109 vs Australia at Nagpur, on Nov 6, ‘08

83) 103 no vs England at Chepauk, Chennai, on Dec 15, ‘08

84) 163 vs New Zealand at Christchurch, on Mar 8, ‘09

85) 160 vs New Zealand at Seddon Park, on March 20, ‘09

86) 138 vs Sri Lanka at RPS, Colombo, on Sep 14, ‘09

87) 175 vs Australia at Hyderabad on Nov 5, ‘09

88) 100 no vs Sri Lanka at Ahmedabad, on Nov 20, ‘09

89) 105 no vs Bangladesh at Chittagong, on Jan 18, ‘10

90) 143 vs Bangladesh at Mirpur, on Jan 25, ‘10

91) 100 vs South Africa at Nagpur, on Feb 9, ‘10

92) 106 vs South Africa at Kolkata, on Feb 15, ‘10

93) 200 no vs South Africa at Gwalior, on Feb 24, ‘10

94) 203 vs Sri Lanka at Colombo, on Jul 28, ‘10

95) 214 vs Australia at Bangalore, on Oct 11, ‘10

96) 111 no vs South Africa at Cape Town, on Dec 19, ‘10

97) 146 vs South Africa at Cape Town, on Jan 4, ‘11

98) 120 vs England at Bangalore, on Feb 27, ‘11

99) 111 vs South Africa at Nagpur, on March 12, ‘11

100) 114 vs Bangaldesh at Mirpur, On March 16, ‘12

Union Budget 2012-13 Summary

The Union Budget 2012-13 presented by the Finance Minister ShriPranab Mukherjee in LokSabha  identifies five objectives to be addressed effectively in the ensuing fiscal year.   They include focus on domestic demand driven growth recovery; create conditions for  rapid revival of high growth in private investment;  address  supply bottlenecks  in agriculture, energy and transport sectors  particularly in coal, power, national highways , railways and civil aviation; intervene decisively  to address the problem of malnutrition  especially in the 200 high-burden districts and  expedite coordinated implementation of decisions being taken to improve delivery systems , governance, and transparency;  and address the problem of black money and corruption in public life. 

ShriPranab Mukherjee said that India’s GDP growth in 2012-13 is expected to be 7.6 per cent +/-0.25 per cent.  He said that in 2011-12, India’s GDP is estimated to grow at 6.9 per cent after having grown at the rate of  8.4 per cent in each of the  two preceding years.  He said though the global crisis  had affected India, it still remains among  the front runners in economic growth.  Shri Mukherjee said the slowdown is primarily due to deceleration in industrial growth.  Stating that the headline inflation remained high for most part of the year, the Finance Minister expressed hope that it will moderate further in the next few months and remain stable thereafter.

            Shri Mukherjee laid emphasis on striking a balance between fiscal consolidation and strengthening macroeconomic fundamentals.  He announced introduction of amendments to the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003 (FRBM Act) as part of the Finance Bill 2012.  He said that concept of “Effective Revenue Deficit” and “Medium Term Expenditure Framework” statement are two important features of Amendment to FRBM Act in the direction of expenditure reforms.  This statement shall set forth a three year rolling targets for expenditure indicators.

            The Finance Minister called for a need to have a close look at the growth of revenue expenditure, particularly, on subsidies.  He announced that from 2012-13  while subsidies related to food and for administering the Food Security Act will be fully provided for,  all other subsidies would be funded to the extent that they can be borne by the economy without any adverse implications.  He said that the Government will endeavor to restrict the expenditure on central subsidies under 2 per cent of GDP in 2012-13and over the next three years, it would be further brought down to 1.75 per cent of GDP.Shri Mukherjee said that based on recommendations of the Task Force headed by ShriNandanNilekani, a mobile-based Fertilizer Management System has been designed to provide end-to-end information on movement of fertilizers and subsidies which will be rolled out nation-wide during 2012.  He said that transfer of subsidy to the retailer and eventually to the farmers will be implemented in subsequent phases which will benefit 12 crore farmer families. 

            On the tax reforms, the Finance Minister said that the  Direct Taxes Code (DTC) Bill will be enacted at the earliest after expeditious examination of the report of the Parliamentary  Standing Committee.  He said drafting of  model  legislation for Centre and State Goods and Services Tax (GST) in concert with States is under progress.  He added that the GST network will be set up as a  National Information Utility and will become operational by August 2012.

            On the disinvestment policy, Shri Mukherjee said that the Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) are being given a level playing field vis-à-vis private sector with regard to practices like buy-backs and  listing at stock exchange.  Stating that while in 2011-12, the Government will raise about Rs.14,000crore  from disinvestment as against a target of  Rs.40,000 crore,  the Finance Minister proposed to raise  Rs.30,000 crore through disinvestment in  2012-13.  He said at least 51 per cent ownership and management of CPSEs will remain with the Government.

            Calling for strengthening investment environment, Shri Mukherjee said that efforts are on to arrive at a broad-based consensus in respect of decision to allow FDI in multi-brand retail up to 51 per cent.  He proposed to introduce a new scheme  called Rajiv Gandhi Equity Savings Scheme  to allow for income tax deduction of 50 per cent to new retail investors who invest up to  Rs.50,000 directly in equities and whose annual income is below Rs.10 lakh.  The scheme will have a lock-in period of 3 years.  Regarding capital markets, the Finance Minister  proposed to allow Qualified Foreign  Investors (QFIs) to access Indian Corporate Bond market.  He also  proposed simplifying  the process of Initial Public Offer  (IPO).

            ShriPranab Mukherjee said that the Government is committed to protect the financial health of  Public Sector Banks and Financial Institutions.    He proposed to provide Rs. 15,888 crore for capitalization of Public Sector Banks, Regional Rural Banks and other financial institutions  including NABARD.  He added that a Central Know Your Customer (KYC) depositary will be developed in 2012-13 to avoid multiplicity  of registration and data upkeep.

            The Finance Minister informed that out of 73,000 identified habitations that were to be covered under “Swabhimaan” campaign for providing banking facilities by March 2012, about 70,000 habitations have been covered while the rest are likely to be covered by March 31, 2012.    He added that as a next step Ultra Small Branches are being set up at these habitations.  In 2012-13, Swabhimaan campaign will be extended to more habitations. 

            Emphasizing on infrastructure and industrial development, Shri Mukherjee said that during the 12^th Plan, infrastructure investment will go up to Rs.50 lakh crorewith  half of this expected from private sector.  Stating  that in 2011-12 tax free bonds for Rs.30,000 crore were announced for financing infrastructure projects, he proposed to double it to raise Rs.60,000 crore in 2012-13.  The Minister proposed to allow External Commercial Borrowings (ECB) to part finance Rupee debt of existing power projects. 

            The Finance Minister ShriPranab Mukherjee announced a  target of covering  8,800 km. under NHDP next year and increase in allocation of the Road Transport and Highways Ministry  by   14 per cent to Rs.25,360 crore in 2012-13.  He proposed to permit ECB for working capital requirements of the Airline Industry for a period of one year, subject to a total ceiling  of US dollar  1 billion to address the immediate financial concerns of the Civil Aviation Sector.   He added that a proposal  to allow foreign airlines to participate up to  49 per cent in the equity  of an air transport undertaking is under active consideration.

            Expressing concern over shortage in housing sector, the Finance Minister proposed  various measures to address the shortage of housing for low income groups in major cities and towns including ECB for low cost housing projects and setting up of a Credit Guarantee Trust Fund. 

            Regarding textile sector, the Finance Minister announced setting up of two more mega clusters, one to cover Prakasam and Guntur districts in Andhra Pradesh and other for Godda and neighboring districts in Jharkhand in addition to 4 mega handloom clusters already operationalized.  He also proposed setting up of three Weavers Service Centres, one each in Mizoram, Nagaland and Jharkhand.  The Minister proposed  aRs. 500 crore pilot scheme in twelfth plan for promotion and application of Geo-textiles in the North East.   A powerloom Mega Cluster  will be set up in  Ichalkaranji in Maharashtra.

            The Finance Minister proposed to set up a Rs.5000 croreIndia  Opportunities Venture Fund with SIDBI to enhance availability of equity to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. 

            Stating that agriculture will continue to be a priority for Government,  Shri Mukherjee proposed  an increase  by 18 per cent to Rs. 20,208 crore in the total Plan Outlay for the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation in 2012-13.  He said that the outlay for RashtriyaKrishiVikasYojana (RKVY) is being increased to  Rs. 9217 crore in 2012-13. 

            Underlining importance of timely access to affordable credit for farmers, the Finance Minister proposed to raise the target for  agricultural credit to Rs.5,75,000 crore, which represents an increase of Rs. 1,00,000 crore over the target for the current year..   He said that a short term RRB Credit  Refinance Fund is being set up to enhance the capacity of Regional Rural Banks to disburse short term crop loans to the small and marginal farmers.  He added that Kisan Credit Card Scheme will be modified to make it a smart card which can be used at ATMs.

            The Financed Minister said that in order to have a better out reach of the food processing sector, a new centrally sponsored scheme titled National Mission on Food Processing will be started in cooperation with the States in 2012-13. 

            The Finance Minister proposed an increase of 18 per cent to  Rs.37,113crore for Scheduled Castes Sub Plan and  an increase of 17.6 per cent to Rs.21,710 crore for Tribal Sub Plan during 2012-13. 

            Regarding food security, Shri Mukherjee said that National Food Security Bill 2011 is before Parliamentary Standing Committee.   He said a multi-sectoralprogramme to address maternal and child malnutrition in selected 200 high burdened districts is being rolled out during 2012-13.  He further  said that an allocation of Rs.15,850 crore has been made for ICDS scheme which is an increase of 58% and Rs.11,937 crore for  National Programme of Mid-Day Meals in schools for the year 2012-13.  He added that an allocation of Rs.750 crore is proposed for Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls, SABLA. 

            The allocation for rural drinking water and sanitation is proposed to be increased by over 27 per cent to Rs. 14,000 crore and for PradhanMantri Road SadakYojana by 20 per cent to Rs. 24,000 crore in 2012-13.  He proposed to enhance the allocation under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund to  Rs. 20,000 crore with  Rs.5,000 crore exclusively earmarked for .creating warehousing facilities.

            The Finance Minister proposed an  increase in  allocation by 21.7 per cent  for Right to Education – SarvaShikshaAbhiyan to Rs.25,555 crore and by 29 per cent  for RashtriyaMadhyamikShikshaAbhiyan to Rs. 3,124 crore,   He proposed to set up a Credit Guarantee Fund to ensure better flow of funds to students.

            Regarding health sector  he proposed an increase in allocation for NRHM to Rs.20,822 crore in 2012-13.  He also said that National Urban Health Mission is being launched.

            The Finance Minister said that Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme has had a positive impact.  He proposed an allocation of Rs.3915 crore for National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) which represents an increase  of 34 per cent. He proposed to provide Rs.200 crore to enlarge the corpus to Rs.300 crore of the Women’s SHG’s Development Fund.  He said the fund will also support the objectives of  Aajeevika i.e.  NRLM and will empower  women  SHGs to access bank credit. He also proposed to establish a Bharat Livelihoods Foundation of India through Aajeevika which will support and scale up civil society initiatives and interventions particularly in the tribal regions covering around 170 districts.

            Allocation under National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) is proposed to be raised by 37 per cent to Rs. 8447 crore.  Under the Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme and Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme for BPL beneficiaries, the monthly pension amount per person is being raised from Rs. 200 to Rs.300.

            The Finance Minister announced a provision of Rs.1,93,407crore for Defence Services including Rs.79,579 crore for capital expenditure.  He said the allocation is based on present needs and any further requirement would be met.

           

Addressing Governance related issues, Shri Mukherjee said adequate funds are proposed to be allocated to complete enrolments of another 40 crore persons under UID Mission. Outlining the steps taken by the Government to address the issue of black money, the Minister proposed to lay a White Paper  on Black Money in the  current session of Parliament.

In the Budget Estimates for 2012-13, the Gross Tax Receipts are estimated at Rs.10, 77,612 crore which is an increase of 15.6 per cent over the Budget Estimates and 19.5 per cent over the revised estimates for 2011-12.  After devolution to States, the net tax to the Centre in 2012-13 is estimated at Rs. 7,71,071crore.  The Non Tax Revenue Receipts are estimated at Rs.1,64,614crore and Non-debt Capital Receipts  at Rs.41,650 crore.  The total expenditure for 2012-13 is budgeted  at Rs.14,90,925 crore.  Of this Rs.5,21,025crore is the Plan Expenditure while Rs.9,69,900 crore is budgeted as Non Plan Expenditure.

            The tax proposals are guided by the need to move towards the Direct Tax Code(DTC) in the case of direct taxes and Goods & Services Tax (GST) in the case of indirect taxes.

            Individual income upto Rs.2 lakh will be  free from income tax; income upto Rs.1.8 lakh was exempt in 2011-12.  Income above  Rs.5 lakh and upto Rs.10 lakh now carries tax at the rate of 20 per cent; the 20% tax slab was from Rs.5 lakh to Rs.8 lakh in 2011-12.  A deduction of upto Rs.10,000 is now available for interest from savings bank accounts. Within the existing limit for deduction allowed for health insurance, a deduction of upto  Rs.5000 is being allowed for preventive health check-up.  Senior citizens not having income from business will now not need to pay advance tax.

            While no changes have been made in corporate taxes, the budget proposes a number of measures  to promote investment in specific sectors.  In order to provide low cost funds  to some stressed infrastructure sectors, withholding tax on interest payments on external borrowings (ECBs) is being reduced from 20 percent to 5 per cent for 3 years.  These sectors are - power, airlines, roads and bridges, ports and shipyards, affordable housing, fertilizer, and dam.

            Investment linked deduction of capital expenditure in some businesses is proposed to be provided at 150 per cent as against the current rate of 100 per cent.  These sectors include cold chain facility, warehouses  forstoring food-grains, hospitals, fertilizers and affordable housing.   Bee keeping, container  freight and warehousing  for storage of sugar will now also be eligible for investment linked deduction.  

The budget also proposes weighted deduction for R&D expenditure, agri-extension services and expenditure on skill development in the manufacturing sector.

            For small and medium enterprises (SMEs) the turnover limit for compulsory tax audit of accounts as well as for presumptive taxation is proposed to be raised from Rs. 60 lakh to Rs. 1 crore. In order to augment funds for SMEs,  sale of residential property will be exempt from capital  gains tax, if the proceeds are used for purchase of plant and machinery, etc. 

            A General Anti-Avoidance Rule (GAAR) is being introduced in order to counter aggressive tax avoidance. Securities transaction tax (STT) is being reduced by 20 per cent on cash delivery transactions, from 0.125% to 0.1%.  Alternative Minimum Tax is proposed to be levied from all persons, other than companies, claiming profit linked deductions.

            The Finance Minister has  proposed a series of measures to deter the generation and use of unaccounted money. In the case of assets held abroad, compulsory reporting is being introduced and assessment upto 16 years will now be allowed to be re-opened.  Tax will be collected at source on trading in coal, lignite and iron ore; purchase of bullion or jewellery above Rs. 2 lakh in cash; and transfer of immovable property (other than agricultural land) above a specified threshold.  Unexplained money, credits, investments, expenditures etc. will be taxed at the highest rate of 30 per cent irrespective of the slab of income.

            The Finance Minister has made an effort to widen the service tax base, strengthen its enforcement and bring it as close as possible to the central excise. A common simplified registration form and a common return are being introduced for central excise and service tax.

            All services will now attract service tax, except those in the negative list.  The negative list  has 17 heads and includes  specified services provided by the government or local authorities, and services in the fields of education, renting of residential dwellings, entertainment and amusement,   public transportation, agriculture and animal husbandry.  A number of other services including health care, and services provided by charities, independent journalist, sport persons, performing artists in folk and classical arts, etc are exempt from service tax.  Film industry also gets tax exemption on copyrights relating to recording of cinematographic films.

Service tax rate is being increased from 10 per cent to 12 per cent, with consequential change in rates for services that have individual tax rates. The standard rate of excise duty for non-petroleum goods is also being raised from 10 per cent to 12 per cent. No change is proposed in peak rate of customs duty of 10 per cent on non-agricultural goods.

The Budget offers relief to different sectors of economy, especially those under stress.  Import of equipment for fertilizer projects are being fully exempted from basic customs duty of 5 per cent for 3 years.  Basic customs duty is also being lowered for a number of equipment used in agriculture and related areas.  

In the realm of infrastructure, customs relief is being given to power, coal and railways sectors.  While steam coal gets full customs duty exemption for 2 years (with the concessional counter-veiling duty of 1 per cent), natural gas, LNG and certain uranium fuel get full duty exemption this year.  Different levels of duty concessions are being provided to help mining, railways, roads, civil aviation, manufacturing, health and nutrition and environment.  So as to help modernization of the textile industry, a number of equipment are being fully exempted from basic customs duty, and lower customs duty is being proposed for some other items used by the textile industry. 

Customs duty is being raised for gold bars and coins of certain categories, platinum and gold ore.  Customs duty  is to be imposed on coloured gem stones.  Excise duty on certain categories of cigarettes and bidis, pan masala and chewing tobacco is being increased.  Customs duty is being increased  on completely built large cars/ SUVs/ MUVs of value exceeding $40,000. 

Silver jewellery will now be fully exempt from excise duty. Unbranded  precious metal jewellery will attract excise duty on the lines of branded jewellery. Operations are being simplified and measures taken to minimize impact of this provision on small artisans and goldsmiths.

While direct tax proposals in the Budget will result in a net revenue loss of Rs.4,500crore, indirect taxes will result in a net revenue gain of Rs.45,940 crore.  Thus, the tax proposals will lead to a net gain of Rs.41,440 crore.

Union Budget 2012-13 Highlights

·         Budget identifies five objectives relating to  growth recovery, private investment, supply bottlenecks, malnutrition and governance matters

·         GDP growth to be 7.6 per cent (+ 0.25 percent) during 2012-13

·         Amendment to the FRBM Act proposed  as part of Finance Bill.  New concepts of “Effective Revenue Deficit” and “Medium Term Expenditure Framework” introduced

·         Central subsidies to be kept under 2 per cent of GDP; to be further brought down to 1.75 per cent of GDP over the next 3 years.

·         Proposed: Mobile based fertilizer management system; LPG transparency portal; scaling up and rolling out of Aadhar enabled payment for government schemes in at least 50 districts.

·         Rs. 30,000 crore to be raised through disinvestment

·         Efforts to reach broadbased consensus on FDI in multi-brand retail

·         Rajiv Gandhi Equity Saving Scheme: to allow income tax deduction to retail investors on  investing in equities

·         Rs. 15,888 crore to be provided for capitalization of public sector banks and financial  institutions

·         A central  “Know Your Customer” depository to be developed

·         Swabhimaan: remaining habitations to be covered; to be extended to more habitations; ultra small branches to be set up in Swabhimaan habitations

·         Investment in 12^th Plan in infrastructure to go uptoRs. 50,00,000 crore; half of this is expected from private sector

·         Tax Free Bonds of Rs. 60,000 crore to be allowed for financial infrastructure projects

·         Allocation of Road Transport and Highways Ministry enhanced by 14 per cent to Rs. 25,360 crore

·         Financial package of Rs. 3,884 crore for waiver of loans to handloom weavers and their cooperative societies; mega handloom clusters in Andhra, Jharkhand; weaver service centres in Mizoram, Nagaland and Jharkhand ; powerloom mega cluster in Maharashtra; Rs. 500 crore pilot schemes for geo-textiles in North-Eastern region

·         Rs. 5,000 crore India Opportunities Venture Fund to help small enterprises

·         Allocation to agriculture enhanced; RKVY gets Rs. 9,217 crore; BGREI gets Rs. 1,000 crore; Rs.2242 crore project to improve dairy productivity; Rs. 500 crore for coastal aquaculture

·         Various other agricultural activities merged into 5 missions

·         Target for agricultural credit raised to Rs. 5,75,000 crore

·         Interest subvention for short-term crop loans to farmers at 7 per cent interest continues; additional 3 per cent for prompt paying farmers

·         Rs. 200 crore for awards to incentivise agricultural research

·         Provisions under rural housing fund increased to Rs. 4,000 crore from Rs. 3,000 crore

·         Interest subvention of 1 percent on housing loans uptoRs. 15 lakh extended for one more year

·         AIBP allocation raised by 13 per cent to Rs. 14,242 crore

·         National Mission on Food Processing to be started in cooperation with State Governments

·         Scheduled Caste Sub Plan allocation increases by 18 per cent to Rs. 37,113 crore; Tribal Sub Plan by 17.6 per cent to Rs. 21,710 crore

·         Multi-sectoralprogramme to address maternal and child malnutrition in 200 high burden districts

·         58 per cent rise in allocation to ICDS, at Rs. 15,850 crore

·         Rural drinking water and sanitation gets 27 per cent rise in allocation to Rs. 14,000 crore; PMGSY gets 20 per cent rise to Rs. 24,000 crore

·         Projects covering length of 8800 km to be awarded under NHDP against 7,300 km during 2011-12

·         RTE-SSA gets Rs. 25,555 crore allocation, showing an increase of 21 per cent; 6000 schools to be set up at block level as model schools in the 12^th Plan; Credit Guarantee Fund to be set up for better flow of credit to students

·         National Urban Health Mission is being launched

·         34 per cent increase in allocation to National Rural Livelihood Mission, to Rs. 3915 crore

·         Rs. 1000 crore allocated for National Skill Development Fund

·         Bharat Livelihood Foundation to be established to support livelihood interventions particularly in  tribal areas

·         Widow pension and disability pension raised from Rs. 200 to Rs. 300 per month

·         Grant on death of primary breadwinner of a BPL family in the age group 18-64 years doubled to Rs. 20,000

·         Defence services get Rs. 193407 crore; any further requirement to be met

·         4000 residential quarters to be constructed for Central Armed Police Forces

·         UID-Aadhar to get adequate funds for enrolment of 40 crore persons, in addition to the 20 crore persons already enrolled

·         White Paper on Black Money to be laid in the current session of Parliament

·         Tax proposals mark progress in the direction of movement towards DTC and GST

·         Income tax exemption limit raised from Rs.1,80,000 to Rs.2,00,000; upper limit of 20 per cent tax slab raised from Rs.8 lakh to Rs.10 lakh

·         Interest from savings bank accounts deductible upto Rs.10,000; deduction of upto Rs.5,000 for preventive health check-up

·         Senior citizens without business income exempt from advance tax

·         Investment linked deduction of capital expenditure enhanced for certain businesses; new sectors eligible for investment linked deduction

·         Turnover limit for compulsory tax audit for SMEs raised from Rs.60 lakh to Rs.1 crore

·         STT on cash delivery reduced by 20 per cent to 0.1%

·         General Anti Avoidance Rule being introduced to counter aggressive tax avoidance

·         A number of measures proposed to deter generation and use of unaccounted money

·         All services to attract service tax except those in the negative list

·         Central Excise and Service Tax being harmonized

·         Standard rate of excise duty raised from 10 per cent to 12 per cent; service tax rates raised from 10 per cent to 12 per cent; no change in peak customs duty of 10 per cent on non-agricultural goods

·         Relief in indirect taxes to sectors under stress; agriculture, infrastructure, mining, railways, roads, civil aviation, manufacturing, health and nutrition, and environment get duty relief

·         Certain cigarettes and bidis attract higher excise duty; large cars attract higher customs duty

·         Excise imposed on unbranded jewellery also; measures to minimize impact on small artisans  and goldsmiths; branded silver jewellery exempted from excise duty

·         Net gain of Rs.41,440 crore due to taxation proposals

·         Total expenditure budgeted at Rs. 14,90,925 crore; plan expenditure at Rs. 5,21,025 crore – 18 per cent higher than 2011-12 budget; non plan expenditure at Rs. 9,69,900 crore

·         Fiscal deficit targeted at 5.1 per cent of GDP, as against 5.9 per cent in revised estimates for 2011-12

·         Central Government debt at 45.5 per cent of GDP as compared to Thirteenth Finance Commission target of 50.5 per cent

·         Medium-term Expenditure Framework Statement to be  introduced; will set forth 3-year rolling target for expenditure indicators