'The Modi regime is not willing to use its huge political capital for taking any economic policy measure that it fears might undermine that political strength, says A K Bhattacharya.
With less than five months left for the report of the Fifteenth Finance Commission to be submitted, its chairman N K Singh said the report will have fiscal road map for states, depending on their current situation.
The allocation in the defence budget is inadequate to meet India's long-term threats, especially from China and Pakistan, says Gurmeet Kanwal.
Relax fiscal consolidation, boost public capex and reduce cost of finance, industry tells Centre
The Centre is likely to cut budgetary support to the railways by around Rs 5,000-10,000 crore for 2018-19, out of the total budgeted GBS of Rs 53,060 crore. Due to this cut in GBS, the railways is likely to depend more on borrowings, asset monetisation, and internal generation to meet the capex target of Rs 1.465 trillion for the current year.
'We are looking at the Budget with the hope that it will address all issues even at the cost of exceeding the fiscal deficit target.'
FinMin plans tougher targets for bad loans, Casa and others in performance-linked pay for senior management.
'If the government spends Rs 10 lakh crore this year then you would be looking at a GDP growth of minus 5 per cent.' 'If you do not do this, you will be looking at GDP growth between minus nine and minus 10 per cent.'
FM may increase income-tax exemption limit to Rs 3 lakh
The appointments committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleared Bhalla's appointment as OSD in the ministry with immediate effect.
The guidelines for strategic disinvestment were issued on Monday itself when Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented the Union Budget for 2016-17.
Senior bureaucrats say the government has planned a 'feel-good' Budget after the 'pain' of demonetisation.
There were heightened expectations from Budget 2017 after the impact of note ban on different sections but most remain unfulfilled.
The reform priorities are clear: enhance savings, improve productivity. Just 25 basis points of moving interest rate up or down would not boost investment: Former RBI Governor Y V Reddy.
In his statement to the Enforcement Directorate, Dhoot conceded that Rs 64 crore had been transferred to Deepak Kochhar's NuPower Renewables through a web of entities to allegedly acquire wind farm properties.
This Budget plans for an increase to 10.3% of GDP from 9.9%.
Economists have said if a stimulus is needed it should be different from what was provided in 2008-09, when the economy faced the ripple effects of a global meltdown following the Lehman Brothers collapse.
Shifting to a PPP model could repeat the errors of the past
RBI said at the current juncture, the all-out effort is to maintain and sustain, with the hope that when life is secure, resources, energy and time can be marshalled to rebuild and revive.
'While all would agree on the need to be ready to launch cross-border strikes on terror camps, there is sharp disagreement on how best to do it.' 'Through IAF fighters, or surface-to-surface missiles?' 'Or should army Special Forces be created to do the job?' 'If air strikes are the agreed priority, additional funding must be made available for the purchase of fighters and missiles.' 'If it is to be Special Forces, the army must be facilitated in raising a Special Forces Command,' notes Ajai Shukla.
Two key depts in ministry cold to rationale for one; postal dept says it's more eligible than IDFC or Bandhan, feels 'strong lobby' scuttling its plans.
Travelling abroad will be tougher for civil servants, with the Narendra Modi government further tightening the rules for foreign travel.
Kirti Azad, a known detractor of Jaitley, egged on the Congress to seek a time-bound SIT probe.
Relying on the private sector to undertake infrastructure investment may not be a realistic proposition.
'If some measures are implemented quickly, they can help revive growth.'
The party said that the Delhi cricket body had become a den of corruption during Jaitley's 13-year rule.
The government plans to raise resources to finance capital spending beyond the Rs 3.10 lakh crore budgeted for 2017-18 through higher borrowing or divestment receipts.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Tuesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and did not rule out the support of her party All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam to his government in the Rajya Sabha where the ruling National Democratic Alliance is in a minority.
FM should avoid proposals such as to tax financial transactions and fringe benefits
The FM could scrap the secrecy around tax rates.
The windfall from RBI may be used to trim borrowing, help fund Rs 3.3 lakh crore capex plan, capitalise banks and provide fiscal stimulus to some stressed sectors, experts and economists said.
'The much-awaited decision could be a welcome change at a time when the Indian armed forces are crying for self-reliance and the defence industry is looking forward to more indigenisation,' notes Nitin A Gokhale.
The UIDAI, set up in 2009, will manage the generation and authentication of Aadhaar numbers.
Most expect the Budget to be path-breaking.
FY16 GDP growth was seen at 7.5%, against 8.1-8.5% earlier.
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The impact the Economic Survey had on the Budget proposals and the influence the Prime Minister wielded on them deserve close attention.
Since 2004, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, one of the commission's longest serving deputy chairmen, has been trying to mould it to fit into the new economic order, without much to show for his efforts.
Room for rise of up to 2 percentage points, move to help meet higher expenditure need in FY17
Calling Jaitley a "master of half truth and beautiful lies", AAP leader Ashutosh made certain fresh allegations against the finance minister and said his comments that there was no specific charges against him was "misleading".
Days after the Cabinet approved doubling of natural gas price from April next year, the Finance Ministry has written to Oil Ministry suggesting setting of a ceiling or an upper limit for the rates.
