Budget o Budget!!!

After a pragmatic railway budget by Mr laloo prasad, its time for Mr P.Chidambram to present the General Budget 2008-2009......
With polls scheduled next year, the finance minister could not afford to present a harsh budget but he has done just the opposite--he has given the nation a budget that lays more emphasis on the rural India without keeping the corporate India in cold....It is a budget for farmers, especially those who are reeling under the load of instituional debt..The finance minister has announced complete waiver of instituional debt amounting to a whooping Rs 50,000 crore pending against small and medium farmers owning land less than 5 hectares......
This is the biggest ever loan waiver scheme at the national level!!! No doubt, the finance minister deserves a hats off!
Another scheme introduced is the OTS i.e One Time Settlement facility, which will cost the govt another Rs 10,000 crore and under which 25% rebate will be given to farmers owning land greater than 5 hectares....Around one crore farmers are expected to be benefitted fro this scheme.....Considering the plightful state of the farmers of the country, these measures are set to act as an instant relief for them...Truly, the centre has done more than its duty to farmers.....

The tax slabs have also been restructured and the new proposals will give a minimum benefit of atleast Rs 4000 to every taxpayer..Senior citizen will pay no tax upto Rs 2.5 lakh and women upto Rs 1.8 lakh.
The education and health departments too have received a boost with a 20 % and 15% increase in allocation respectively as compared to previous year..3 new IIT's and 16 central universities will be set up....
The commodities that have become cheaper include two , three and four wheelers, life saving drugs, jewellery( The women too have a reson to rejoice!!!!hehe), water purification items and a lot more while we will have to shell out a few extra bucks for mobiles, packaged software , cigarettes, etc....
Employement oppurtunities for ex-servicemen in the banking sector acts as the cherry on the cake...Ex-servicemen, who depend largely on the pension or the interest money now have a reson to smile, thanks to the new scheme.........

So overall it is a people friendly budget (From India to Bharat as has been called by editors in today's newspapers)..lets expect that the finance minister keeps up the momentum, till the elections atleast......