Budget Highlights - 11

* Adequate provision for defence with Rs.246,727 crore earmarked this year

* Fully IT-based student-help facility for needy students

* Eastern states to be given opportunity to develop faster. Special boost to Bihar and West Bengal as in the case of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

* Good progress in DMIC corridor and other infra-projects. Rs.1,200 crore earmarked and additional funds if pace of work picks up on ongoing projects

* Procurement law to be drawn up to ensure transparency and remove corruption

* Centenary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay to be celebrated; committee for this to be set up soon

* During 2015-16 AIIMS-like institutes to be set up in Jamu and Kashmir, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh; Bihar to get second AIIMS-like institution

* Karnataka to get an IIT; Indian School of Mines in Dhanbad to be upgraded to IIT

* Good progress being made on Digital India

* To discourage transactions in cash, Rupee debit card to incentivise credit transactions

* In line with 'Act East Policy', steps to catalyse investment in this sector through a project development company to oversee investments in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam



* Tourism has increased after Visa on Arrival introduced for 43 countries. This facility to be increased to 150 countries in different stages



* Public Debt Management Agency to be created to strengthen the bond market



* Gold Monetisation Scheme to be introduced; sovereign gold bonds to be introduced; working on developing Indian gold coin with Ashok Chakra on face



* Vision of making India cashless society



* Foreign Investment in alternative investment funds to be permitted



* Ports in public sector to be encouraged to utilise land under their control



* Make India investment-destination by streamlining permission procedures



* Five ultra-mega power projects each of 4,000 MW to be set up



* MGNREGA allocation to be enhanced by Rs.5,000 crore, if additional funds available



* Integrated education and livelihood scheme to be launched



* "The Everlasting Flame" exhibition on Parsis to be launched



* National investment and infrastructure fund to be launched with corpus of Rs.20,000 crore to generate more funds



* Innovation initiative to be launched in NITI Aayog in the name of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee



* Government committed to increasing access of people to the banking system



* Universal social security system for all Indians, especially poor and disadvantaged sections



* Atal Pension Yojna for economically disadvantaged



* PPF and EPF corpus to be utilised for senior citizens' welfare fund



* Physical aids and assisting devices for physically challenged senior citizens



* Main challenges: increasing agricultural production; increasing investment in infrastructure; with manufacturing declining, Make in India will create jobs; cooperative federalism



* Agriculture credit targetted at Rs.8.5 lakh crore



* Rural jobs scheme to get Rs.34,699 crore; Every poor to get a job



* To work with NITI Aayog for creating a National Agricultural Market



* Need well-targeted system for subsidies.



* Direct transfer of subsidy to LPG consumers



* Appeal to well-off consumers to surrender subsidised LPG connections



* Organic farm schemes of agriculture ministry to be supported



* 'Per drop More crop' scheme for better irrigation



* Three achievements - Jan Dhan Yojna, coal auctions, Swachh Bharat



* Two more gamechanging reforms: Goods and Services Tax, JAM trinity (Jan Dhan Yojna, Aadhar, Mobile number) to ensure transparency



* Our achievement to conquer inflation, CPI inflation at five percent by year-end



* GDP growth at 7.4 percent in 2014-15 and at 8-8.5 percent in 2015-16; double-digit growth feasible



* We are in an economic environment far more positive than in the recent past



* Undertaken several significant steps to energise the Indian economy in last nine months



* India's chance to fly



* Budget proposals lay down roadmap for economic growth.