The Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), providing
for smart card based cashless health insurance cover of Rs. 30000/- per
annum per family ( a unit of five) to BPL families in the unorganized
sector, has been extended to such Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) beneficiaries who have worked more
than 15 days during the preceding financial year.
The premium is shared between Central and State Government in the ratio
of 75:25 and in case of States in North Eastern Region and Jammu &
Kashmir, the ratio of sharing of premium is 90:10. The beneficiaries are
required to pay registration/ renewal fee of Rs. 30 per annum only.
The numbers of beneficiaries under RSBY, Health insurance scheme for
handloom weavers, Rajiv Gandhi Shilpi Swasthaya Bima Yojana (RGSSBY) for
handicraft artisans, Universal Health Insurance Scheme (UHIS) are at
Annexure- I to IV respectively.
The RSBY has also been extended to building and other construction
workers registered under the Building and other Construction Workers
(Regulation of Employment and Condition of Service) Act, 1996 and street
vendors, beedi workers and domestic workers. It is the endeavour of
the Government to extend RSBY to other occupational groups in the
unorganized sector in a phased manner.
This information was given by Minister of Labour and Employment Shri
Mallikarjun Kharge in reply in reply to a written question a)whether
the Government is planning to bring Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) workers under Rashtriya Swasthya
Bima Yojana (RSBY); if so, the details thereof; the premium, required to
be paid by the workers under the revised scheme; the number of workers
from unorganised sectors benefited from various health insurance schemes
so far during the last three years, State-wise including Uttarakhand;
and whether there is any proposal to provide health insurance to all
citizens for basic health under the scheme; and the steps taken by the
Government to cover more such workers under the RSBY
Monday, March 19, 2012
Unorganised Sector Labourers
According to the survey conducted by the National
Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) in 2004-05, the
total employment in both the organized and the unorganized sectors in the
country was 45.9 crore, of which 43.3 crore (about 94%) were in the unorganized sector. In Chhattisgarh State, the number of unorganised workers was 1.05 crore.
Recognizing the need to provide social
security to unorganised workers, the Government has enacted the Unorganised
Workers’ Social Security Act 2008. The Act provides for constitution of
National Social Security Board at the Central level which shall recommend
formulation of social security schemes viz life and disability
cover, health and maternity benefits, old age protection and any other benefit
as may be determined by the Government for unorganized workers. Similar Social Security Boards shall be
constituted at the State Level also.
The Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) was launched
on 01.10.2007 to provide smart card based cashless health insurance cover of
Rs. 30000 to BPL families ( a unit of five) in the
unorganized sector.
The Government has launched the Aam Admi Bima
Yojana (AABY) to provide insurance against death and
disability to landless rural households.
Indira Gandhi
National Old Age Pension scheme (IGNOAPS) was expanded by revising the
eligibility criteria. The persons living below poverty line and above the age
of 60 year are eligible for old age pension of Rs. 200 per month. For persons above the age of 80 years the
amount of pension has been raised to Rs. 500 per month
The States are provided part premium
funding by the Central Government on the basis of number of smart cards issued.
Hence, there is no State-wise allocation under Rashtriya
Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY). Under
Aam Admi Bima Yojana (AABY), there is a
corpus fund. There is a combined
allocation for National Social Assistance Programme of which IGNOAPS is a
component. The number of beneficiaries
covered under RSBY, AABY and IGNOAP for the last three years are at Annexure-I .
This
information was given by Minister of Labour and Employment Shri Mallikarjun Kharge in reply in reply to a written question
regarding the number of workers engaged
in the unorganised sector in the country including Chhattisgarh; the number of
welfare schemes implemented for the said workers during the last three years alongwith the budget allocation for each schemes during the
said years; the utilisation of funds as against the Budget allocated for such
schemes and the total number of beneficiaries therefrom,
State-wise and year-wise; and the extent to which the interests of the workers
of the unorganised sector are being protected.
Annexure-I
Number of smart cards
issued under RSBY
S.No.
|
Name
of the State/Union Territory
|
2009-2010
|
2010-11
|
2011-12
(as on 29.02.2012)
|
|
1.
|
Arunachal
Pradesh
|
-
|
15711
|
39615
|
|
2.
|
Assam
|
81565
|
204465
|
204548
|
|
3.
|
Bihar
|
2038909
|
5101901
|
7096914
|
|
4.
|
Chandigarh
|
5407
|
4913
|
4913
|
|
5.
|
Chhattisgarh
|
927672
|
1230378
|
1384680
|
|
6.
|
Delhi
|
218055
|
113608
|
144518
|
|
7.
|
Goa
|
3505
|
Discontinued the scheme
|
||
8.
|
Gujarat
|
682354
|
1919086
|
1850643
|
|
9.
|
Haryana
|
682354
|
621741
|
584683
|
|
10.
|
Himachal
Pradesh
|
115828
|
237946
|
235131
|
|
11.
|
Jharkhand
|
434762
|
1329254
|
9484
|
|
12.
|
Karnataka
|
36971
|
157405
|
1060286
|
|
13.
|
Kerala
|
1173388
|
1796315
|
1748471
|
|
14.
|
Maharashtra
|
1440407
|
1516687
|
2172918
|
|
15.
|
Manipur
|
-
|
18259
|
31921
|
|
16.
|
Meghalaya
|
22579
|
59055
|
67150
|
|
17.
|
Mizoram
|
15240
|
43256
|
||
18.
|
Nagaland
|
39301
|
39290
|
77870
|
|
19.
|
Orissa
|
341653
|
433079
|
1100793
|
|
20.
|
Punjab
|
169306
|
193541
|
220486
|
|
21.
|
Tamil Nadu
|
149520
|
Discontinued the scheme
|
||
22.
|
Tripura
|
145780
|
258402
|
258402
|
|
23.
|
Uttar Pradesh
|
4296865
|
4233626
|
4145925
|
|
24.
|
Uttarakhand
|
53940
|
335424
|
338879
|
|
25.
|
West Bengal
|
802974
|
3527137
|
4486192
|
|
|
Total
|
13865338
|
23362463
|
27987800
|
Smashing Saina retains Swiss Open
Saina Nehwal won her first
title of the season when she retained the Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold
trophy with a straight-game victory over China's Shixian Wang in the summit clash at Basel, Switzerland.
The
world number five Indian defeated Shixian, ranked third, 21-19 21-16 in
a 48-minute thrilling women's singles competition to defend her title.
Saina made a whirlwind start to the final, zooming to a healthy 11-3 lead in the first game.
Shixian
reeled off four straight points and slowly made her way to level the
score at 17-all but the Indian made sure she had nose ahead in the end.
In the second game, Saina had an early 3-0 lead allowed the Chinese to claw her way back to 11-8 at the break.
After
the breather, the Indian gathered herself and caught up with Shixian at
13-13 and then registered four straight points from 15-all to
eventually seal it comfortably.
The girl from Hyderabad, who turned 22 yesterday, Saina had beaten Japan's Minatsu Mitani in the semifinals last night.
The Indian ace had registered a 21-16 21-18 triumph over Mitani in 35 minutes to set up a summit clash with second seed Shixian.
The Chinese beat eighth seed Inthanon Ratchanok of Thailand 21-17 21-15 in another women's singles match.
In
the semifinal match, Saina didn't allow the Japanese to come close to
her as she opened up a 3-0 lead and kept extending it to pocket the
first game.
In
the second game, Mitani showed some aggression and led 7-3, but Saina
caught up with her and then moved ahead to seal the match.
Saina had reached the quarterfinal of the All England Championship earlier this month.
She reached the semifinals at the Malaysia Open and the quarterfinal in the Korea Open in January this year.
5th missile hub in Andhra Pradesh to fire up defence sector
India's missile power is set to get a boost with a surface-to-air missile
unit set to come up at a cost of Rs 30,000 crore at Ibrahimpatnam in
Andhra Pradesh's Rangareddy district. The foundation stone for the
project by Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) was laid by chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy
The infrastructure for the project, spread over 630 acres, will be ready in three years' time. Once ready, an estimated 6,000 missiles are expected to be produced at the unit. Moreover, missile production will go up as project capacity is expanded to keep up with the demand for missiles.
M Pallam Raju, the union minister of state for defence, said that the project cost would be allocated in the 12th and 13th Plans.
Project developer BDL's turnover would go from Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 5,000 crore once production begins at the surface-to-air missile defence project unit at Ibrahimpatnam.
The new unit will create 1,000 officer-level jobs. Pallam Raju said manpower from educational institutions should be churned out as per industry requirements to enable the local population to benefit from the project and find employment at the unit.
Training in the necessary skills should be offered at the technological institutions for the local populace to be able to compete at the national level for the jobs that are created, he said, adding the Centre would soon come out with a policy that facilitates better private sector participation in the defence sector.
The infrastructure for the project, spread over 630 acres, will be ready in three years' time. Once ready, an estimated 6,000 missiles are expected to be produced at the unit. Moreover, missile production will go up as project capacity is expanded to keep up with the demand for missiles.
M Pallam Raju, the union minister of state for defence, said that the project cost would be allocated in the 12th and 13th Plans.
Project developer BDL's turnover would go from Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 5,000 crore once production begins at the surface-to-air missile defence project unit at Ibrahimpatnam.
The new unit will create 1,000 officer-level jobs. Pallam Raju said manpower from educational institutions should be churned out as per industry requirements to enable the local population to benefit from the project and find employment at the unit.
Training in the necessary skills should be offered at the technological institutions for the local populace to be able to compete at the national level for the jobs that are created, he said, adding the Centre would soon come out with a policy that facilitates better private sector participation in the defence sector.
Gauck elected new German president
A wide majority of German lawmakers has elected former East German pro-democracy activist Joachim Gauck as new president.
Parliament speaker Norbert Lammert said on March 18 that Gauck, who enjoyed
the backing of most major parties, received 991 of the 1,232 ballots
cast.
The new head of state, a largely ceremonial post in Germany, was elected
by a special parliamentary assembly, consisting mostly of lawmakers
from Parliament and the state legislatures.
The 72—year—old Gauck is a former pastor who opposed East Germany’s
then—communist regime and became head of a federal agency overseeing the
files of the Communists’ ubiquitous domestic intelligence service after
Germany’s reunification.
Manohar Aich, former Mr. Universe turns 100
Former Mr. Universe who has just turned 100 said on March 18 that happiness and a life without tensions are the keys to his
longevity.
Manohar Aich, who is 4 foot 11 inches
tall, overcame many hurdles, including grinding poverty and a stint in
prison, to achieve body building glory.
Rippling his
muscles and flashing a toothless grin, Mr. Aich says his ability to
take his troubles lightly and remain happy during difficult times are
the secrets to his long life.
That, and a simple diet of milk, fruits and vegetables along with rice, lentils and fish have kept him healthy.
“I
never allow any sort of tension to grip me. I had to struggle to earn
money since my young days, but whatever the situation, I remained
happy,” Mr. Aich said, sitting in a room decorated with posters and
pictures of his many bodybuilding triumphs.
Mr.
Aich, who was born in the small town of Comilla in Bengal, was a puny
youngster. But he was attracted to exercising and building his muscles
when as a schoolboy he saw a group of wrestlers in action.
After
leaving school in 1942, he joined the Royal air force under India’s
British colonial rulers and it was there that he began his relentless
pursuit of body building.
Encouraged by a British
officer named Reub Martin, who introduced him to weight training, Mr.
Aich earned praise for his physique from his peers in the air force.
Some years later, however, he was thrown into prison when he protested against colonial oppression.
“It
was in the jail that I began weight training seriously. This helped me
prepare myself for the world championship,” said Mr. Aich.
“In jail I used to practice on my own, without any equipment, sometimes for 12 hours in a day,” he recalled.
But the jail authorities were impressed with his perseverance and he was given a special diet to help build his stamina.
India’s
independence in 1947 led to Mr. Aich’s release from jail. Dogged by
poverty, Mr. Aich and his wife struggled to put their four children
through school. There was little cash to indulge his passion for body
building, but Mr. Aich took up odd jobs to earn a little on the side.
In
1951, Mr. Aich came second in the contest, and stayed on in London to
prepare for another shot at the title. He returned to India after
winning the title in 1952.
What followed were a host
of awards, including top positions in Asian Body building
Championships. Over the years, he also earned the more popular title of
“Pocket Hercules” due to his 4 foot 11 inch—frame.
Six
decades later, Mr. Aich helps his sons run a gym and fitness centre and
spends his days guiding juvenile hopefuls to reach the heights of body
building that he did.
A minor stroke last year has
robbed him of the ability to lift weights, but he keeps a watchful eye
on young body builders training in his gym.
Although
his two sons did not take up body building, Mr. Aich says his mentoring
has earned him rewards. It has produced India’s eight-time national
champion, Satya Paul. Another protege, Premchand Dogra, snagged the Mr.
Universe title in 1988.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Sachin Tendulkar becomes first to score 100 international centuries
Iconic Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar on March 16 scripted history by
becoming the first cricketer in the world to score 100 international
centuries, a phenomenal feat which may remain unconquered for years to
come.
It was the end of a long wait for the 38—year—old veteran, who had gone
33 innings and a year without a century. The right—hander made his 99th
international ton in a World Cup match against South Africa in Nagpur on
March 12.
Since then it had been an agonising wait for the maestro, whose every
inning was watched with anticipation. He came close on quite a few
occassions, only to miss the milestone so much so that it became a huge
monkey on his back and an unwanted distraction during every series that
India played.
He did not click with a big scores during India’s Test and ODI whitewash
at the hands of England last year, and though he recovered quite a bit
in the later series, the hundred still did not come.
He carried the weight of expectation to what turned out to be a horror
tour of Australia. Tendulkar seemed to be in good touch during the
Tests, but his form waned after he missed the 100th hundred despite
coming close a few times.
Following this, he made himself available for the ODI tri—series against
Sri Lanka and Australia, but there too, the milestone proved elusive.
But the wait finally ended in familiar sub—continental environs.
With an over two decade long career, records are fairly routine for
Tendulkar, but for the cricketing fraternity, every run he scores just
adds to the legend that the diminutive right—hander has become.
Much before his debut on November 15, 1989, Tendulkar’s precocious
talent was there to be seen when he shared an unbeaten 664—run stand
with friend Vinod Kambli in the Lord Harris Shield Inter—School Game in
1988.
The 1989 international debut was far less spectacular, in fact
forgettable. A Waqar Younis bouncer left him with a bleeding nose but
Tendulkar did not wince and the next two decades saw him punishing
bowlers all over the world on all kinds of surfaces.
His first Test century came in England next year at Old Trafford and the
Mumbaikar rose in stature after the 1991—92 tour of Australia, hitting
sublime centuries on a Sydney turner and a Perth minefield.
The rest is history. No existing batting record seemed safe. Other than
Brian Lara’s Test match highest of 400 not out and first class highest
score of 501 not out, every batting record became Tendulkar’s.
A staggering 15470 runs scored in 188 Tests at a robust average of 55.44
confirmed Tendulkar’s greatness in the longer version of the game.
And in the 462 ODIs he played, a whopping 18,260 (before the Asia Cup
match against Bangladesh) were added to his mountain of runs at an
average of 44.64.
Tendulkar is also the first batsman in the world who has scored a double
ton in ODIs, a feat he achieved in Gwalior against South Africa in
February. This feat was included in ’Time’ magazine’s top 10 sports
moments of the year.
A perfect teamman, Tendulkar has limited his Twenty20 ambition to the
Indian Premier League where he leads Mumbai Indians, ruling himself out
of national reckoning lest it upsets the existing equilibrium of the
side.
The biggest compliment to his batting came from Sir Donald Bradman
himself in 1999 when he said that Tendulkar’s style of playing resembled
his style. “That touch I used to feel when I batted,” he had said.
Tendulkar’s colossal batting exploits have completely overshadowed his
utility as a part—time bowler who reveled in breakthroughs.
He was a complete enigma with the ball, sending down military medium
pace, orthodox leg—break and off—spin with the guiles that often caught
batsmen off their guard.
His 45 Test wickets and 154 scalps in ODIs underline the fact that
Tendulkar could have also staked claim to be that elusive all—rounder
that India has been desperately looking for since the legendary Kapil
Dev. But shoulder problems have not allowed him to bowl as much as he
and the team would have liked.
In the field, he is among the safest pair of hands in the slip and his
flat throw releasing strong arm saw him manning the deep with equal
aplomb. He has taken 113 catches in Test cricket and 140 in the ODIs.
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-Ã -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 12th 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.41,440crore.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)