Key Features of Budget 2023-2024
Vision for Amrit Kaal
- Opportunities for Citizens with focus on the Youth.
- Growth and Job Creation
- Strong and Stable Macro-Economic Environment
Saptarishi – 7 Priorities are:
- Inclusive Development
- Reaching the Last Mile
- Youth Power
- Financial Sector
- Green Growth
- Unleashing the Potential
- Infrastructure and Investment
Agriculture and Cooperatives
- Building Digital Public Infrastructure
- Setting up Agriculture Accelerator Fund
- ANB Horticulture Clean Plant Program to be Launched
- Targeted Funding is ₹ 20 Lakh Crore, agricultural credit targeted at animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fisheries sector.
- Making India Global Hub for Millets “Sree Anna”
- Setting-up of widely available storage capacity
Health Sector
- 157 New Nursing Colleges to be Established
- Sickle Cell Anaemia elimination Mission to be Launched
- New Programme to Promote Research in Pharmaceuticals to be launched
- Joint Public and Private Medical Research to be encouraged via select ICMR labs.
Education and Skilling
- Revamped Teachers’ Training via District institute of Education and Training.
- National Digital Library to be set up for Children and Adolescents.
- States will be encouraged to set up physical libraries at Panchayat and ward levels
The Big Tent that accommodates all (Inclusive Development Achievements)
- Cash transfer of ₹2.2 lakh crore to over 11.4crore Farmers under PM-KISAN
- Insurance cover 44.6 crore persons under PMSBY and PMJJY
- 9 crore drinking water connections to rural houses
- 7 crore household toilets constructed under SBM
- 8 crore PM Jan Dhan bank accounts
- 6 crore LPG connections under ujjawala
- 220 crore Covid vaccination of 102 crore persons
Reaching the Last Mile
- Pradhan Mantri PVTG (Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups) Development Mission to be Launched
- Financial assistance to be given for sustainable micro irrigation drought prone regions of Karnataka
- More teachers to be recruited for 740 Eklavya Model Residential Schools
- Bharat (SHRI) Shared Repository of Incriptions to be set up for digitization of ancient inscriptions.
Infrastructure and Investment
- Increased capital investment outlay by 33.4% to ₹10 lakh crore
- Continuation of 50year interest free loan to State Governments to incentivize infrastructure investment
- Highest ever Capital outlay of ₹2.4 lakh crore for Railways
- 100 transport infrastructure projects identified for end-to-end connectivity for ports, coal, steel, fertilizers sectors
- Creating Urban Infrastructure in Tier 2 and 3 cities via establishment of UIDF (Urban Infrastructure Development Fund).
Unleashing the Potential-Trust Based Governance
- Make AI in India: Three specialized AI Centre’s to be set up in educational Institutes
- National Data Governance Policy to be Introduced
- Vivad se Vishwas I: Less stringent contract execution for MSMEs
- Vivad se Vishwas II: Easier and standardized settlement scheme
- Phase 3 of E-Courts to be launched
- Entity Digi Locker to be set-up for use by business enterprise and charitable trusts
- Setting up of 100 labs for 5G services-based applications development
- R & D grant for Lab Grown Diamonds (LGD) sector
Green Growth
- PM PRANAM (PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother Earth) to be launched
- 500 New Waste to Wealth Plants to be Established under GOBARdhan #scheme for promoting circular activities
- Sustainable Ecosystem Development
- Other Initiatives:
- Setting up 10,000 bio-inputs resource centres-to facilitate farmers to adopt natural farming
- Promotion of Battery energy storage systems
- Promotion of coastal shipping for energy efficient transportation
- Funds to be allocated for replacing old polluting vehicles
Amrit Peedhi – Youth Power
- PMKVY 4.0 will be launched: covering 3 New courses Like – Coding, AI, Robotics, 3D Printing etc.
- Measure to boost Tourism sector: At Least 50 destinations to be selected, through the challenge mode, to be developed as a complete package for domestic and foreign tourists
- States will be encouraged to set-up Unity Malls: For Promotion and sale of ODOP (One District-One Product), GI and Handicraft Products.
Financial Sector
- Setting up National Financial Information registry: To enable efficient lending
- Setting up of a Central Data Processing Centre: For faster handling of administrative work under the Companies Act
- Credit Guarantee Scheme for MSMEs: Expanded corpus under a revamped scheme to enable additional collateral free guarantee credit of ₹2 lakh crore
- Mahila Samman Bachat Patra: One-time new small savings scheme for a 2-year period with a deposit facility of ₹2 lakh per year
- Benefits for Senior Citizens: Enhanced maximum deposit limit for scheme ₹15 lakh to ₹30 lakh
- Other Initiatives
- Initiatives to promote business activities in GIFT IFSC
- Create more trained professionals in Securities Markets via Award of Educational certificates
Fiscal Management
- 50year Interest Free Loans to States
- To be spent on Capital Expenditure within 2023-24
- Part of the loan is conditional on states increasing actual Capital Expenditure
- Fiscal Deficit of 3.5% of GSDP allowed for states (0.5% tied to power sector reforms)
- Fiscal Consolidation: Targeted Fiscal Deficit to be below 4.5% by 2025-26
Tax Proposals
Simplification in Indirect Taxes to deliver
- Changes to Custom Duty on
- Import of Capital goods for Li-ion battery Manufacturing
- Import of Mobile camera Lens
- Denatured ethyl alcohol
- Key inputs for producing shrimp feed
- Seeds for manufacturing lab grown diamonds
- Continuing concessional basic custom duty on copper scrap
- Compounded rubber to bring it at par with natural rubber
Direct Tax Proposals
- 45% of the returns on tax payers’ portal were processed within 24 hours
- Average processing period reduced from 93 to 16 days in 8years
- Processed more than 6.5I crore returns this year
- Income limit for rebate of income tax increased from ₹5 lakh to ₹7lakh in the new Regime
- Highest surcharge rate on income above ₹5cr to be reduced from 37% to 25% under new regime
- Increasing tax exemption limit to ₹25 lakh on leave encashment on retirement for non-government salaried employees
Exemption Limit increased to ₹3 lakh
₹0-3 Lakh NIL
₹3-6 Lakh 5%
₹6-9 Lakh 10%
₹9-12 Lakh 15%
₹12-15 Lakh 20%
>15 Lakh 30%
Tax Benefits for Industry
- MSMEs
- Enhanced limits for micro enterprise and professionals to avail benefits of presumptive taxation;95% of receipts to be non-cash
- Deduction on payments made to MSMEs to be allowed only when payment is actually made
- COOPERATIVES
- Extending 15% corporate tax benefits to new cooperatives, commencing manufacturing till 31st March,2024
- Higher limit of ₹2 lakh per member for deposits & loans in cash by PACS and PCARDBs
- Higher limit of ₹3 crore for TDS on cash withdrawal for co-operative societies
- STARTUPS
- Extension of the date of incorporation by one year for the income tax benefits to start-ups
- Benefit of carry forward of losses on change of shareholding of start-ups from seven years of incorporation to ten years
- RATIONALISATION
- Income of authorities, boards and commissions set up by statues of the Union or State to be exempted from income tax in certain sectors
- Extension of period of tax benefits to funds relocating to IFSC, GIFT City till 31st March, 2025
Allocation for Specific Ministries
₹ in Lakh Crore
- Ministry of Defence 94
- Ministry of Road Transport and 70
Highways
- Ministry of Railways 41
- Ministry of Consumer Affairs, 06
Food & Public Distribution
- Ministry of Home Affairs 96
- Ministry of Chemical and 78
Fertilizers
- Ministry of Rural Development 60
- Ministry of Agriculture and 25
Farmer’s Welfare
- Ministry of Communication 23
Blog By: Priyanka Rana