News

The future movements in the markets over the next month or so will be decided by the contents of the Budget 2018. Lately both the major indices in India has scaled record heights, the Sensex has crossed the 36000 mark whereas the Nifty has also breached the 11000 level.The future movements in the markets over the next month or so will be decided by the contents of the Budget 2018. Although in the period leading up to the  Budget  utmost secrecy is observed but some information does filter through, other than that rumours and informed speculations are also what that drives the sentiments of the markets. Generally there are negative sentiments and expectations attached to the Budget thus investors usually postpone buying decisions before the Budget is tabled. Thus in the past mostly the benchmark index has fallen in the month leading up to the Budget and the markets both Sensex and Nifty have seen gains after the Budget has been delivered. This has been the trend in six out of

Will the Modi govt's last full Union Budget before general elections 2019 will be a populist one? All eyes are now on FM Arun Jaitley's Budget speech on Thursday As Finance Minister Arun Jaitley gets set to present Budget 2018, the last full Union Budget of the Narendra Modi-led central government in its present term, there is an anticipation that he will somewhat shed his prudent stance in favour of a more populist stance one. The view emanates from the fact that this will be the finance minister’s last chance to please the voters through a Budget 2018 before 2019 general elections. Populism in the government’s annual budget could assume policy decisions like lower tax rate for the salaried class, lower corporate tax rates in tune with Trump’s benevolence for the corporate class in the US and big bonanzas for India’s farmers. If the Economic Survey, prepared by Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian and his team is anything to go by, Jaitley has all the am

The government met leaders of political parties at a meeting in Parliament House on Sunday and also sought their cooperation The government on Sunday said it would "leave no stone unturned" to ensure the passage of the triple talaq Bill in the Budget session of Parliament starting Monday, and asserted that it would talk to various parties for a consensus on the issue. The government met leaders of political parties at a meeting in Parliament House on Sunday and also sought their cooperation in ensuring the success of the crucial session during which the Union Budget would be presented. The all-party meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley and Ananth Kumar, besides leaders of the Opposition and other parties. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan also held a dinner meeting with party leaders for the session's smooth functioning and said the leaders had assured her of their cooperation. ALSO READ:  Centre

BJP govt faces this situation as it heads into its last full budget before general elections in 2019 With India’s urban population rising by 11 million annually–the equivalent of adding a Bengaluru every year–and urban voters forming a major vote base for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), making money and management available for cities would appear to be a priority. But promises of smart cities and managing growth to provide jobs and housing for the coming urban population jump from 377 million in 2011 to 600 million in 2031–with 20% of this growth expected to come from rural distress and migration–are, currently, displaying little progress. Less than a quarter of central funds for four major national programmes for India’s urban renewal have been used, according to an IndiaSpend analysis of government data. Since urban development is a state subject, state governments implement these national schemes with central assistance playing a key role. State and urban bodies

In the Union Budget 2018-19, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley could reinforce his Modi govt's thrust on skill enhancement to aid job creation to help India effectively leverage its demographic dividend The upcoming  Budget 2018 , which Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will present on February 1, is expected to be more significant than other recent ones, especially as it is coming after a year full of radical reforms by the Narendra Modi government such as demonetization of high-value currency notes, implementation of the goods and services tax (GST) and a new bankruptcy regime. The year 2017 ended on a high with gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the July-September quarter standing at 6.3%, indicating the significant impact of the two structural reforms — GST and demonetisation — is now behind us and, hopefully we could expect an upward growth in 2018. I am hopeful that this year, too, there will be a thrust on skill enhancement to aid job creation. This would us le

The budgetary allocation aims to subsidise the purchase of machinery by farmers in a bid to curb stubble burning The severity of Delhi's air pollution woes has earned the issue a place in the Centre's allocations in  Budget 2018 . According to reports, an amount of Rs 10 billion (1,000 crore) will be allocated under Budget 2018 to combat problems like stubble burning, which has been attributed as a major cause for Delhi's now-notorious air quality. In an effort to clean up the capital's air, or at least make it more breathable, and end the residents' annual exercise of choking under a blanket of smog, the Centre has decided to earmark Rs 10 billion (1,000 crore) in the upcoming Budget to curb the practice of stubble burning in Delhi's neighbouring states like Punjab and Haryana, the Times of India reported on Thursday. ALSO READ:  India among five worst nations in curbing environmental pollution How will the Centre put a stop to st

Mr. Kalirona stated that if the government supports the manufacturing sector of mobile industry, it would support our Prime Minister's vision of "Make in India". The entire nation has their eyes set on the fifth and last full-fledged Union Budget in Narendra Modi’s government to be presented in Lok Sabha. This Union Budget will be presented on February 1, 2018, by Mr. Arun Jaitley, our Finance Minister. This Union Budget has a lot of significance as it is presented after two big financial decisions made in Mr. Modi’s government- Demonetization and GST. The previous year’s budget was also very unique as railway budget and general budget were presented on the same day. Everybody is expecting some statement to be made about their respective sector in this Union Budget. There is anticipation that mobile phones may become cheaper after February 1, 2018. Union Budget 2018 : Smartphones to go cheaper? Mobile phones are seen in every common man’s possession,

India's yearly Union Budget is when the government lay out its finances, estimates, policies and much more. This is also when the government accounts for its revenue and expenditure. India’s yearly  Union Budget 2018  is when the government lay out its finances, estimates, policies and much more. This is also when the government accounts for its revenue and expenditure. But the budget is much more than that, the union budget of India has its own rich history, it’s an occasion when our democracy is celebrated, it’s a festival of sought. James Wilson, Finance Member of the India Council presented the first Budget in India on February 18, 1869. The first Budget of Independent India was presented by the first Finance Minister of India R.K. Shanmukham Chetty on 26th November 1947 at 5 pm. The tradition of presenting the Budget at 5 pm was a colonial tradition that was practised till 2001, this was when the then FM Yashwant Sinha changed it and started presenting the budget at

Markets eyeing details on fiscal math, increased focus on infra, LTCG on equity investments The current market rally a month before the  Budget 2018  proposals are announced on February 1 is the best in over a decade, with the S&P BSE Sensex and the Nifty50 indices gaining over six per cent so far in calendar year 2018 and crossing the 36,000- and 11,000-levels, respectively, for the first time ever on Tuesday. Though most analysts do not expect the proposals to be hugely populist, brokerages would keep a close watch on how the government manages the fiscal situation a year before the country goes to polls scheduled in May 2019, and changes, if any, to the existing norms of long-term capital gains tax (LTCG) on equities. While analysts peg the fiscal deficit for FY19 to be around 3.2 per cent, any change to the LTCG tax structure on equities could be a sentiment damper, analysts say. Increased allocation for infrastructure such as affordable housing, roads, railwa

The Budget allocation for Ministry of Agriculture and allied activities has grown by 114% since 2010-11 As Finance Minister Arun Jaitley gets down to deliver his fifth annual Budget for the 2018-19 financial year, all eyes will be on his announcements for the rural sector which is going through a downturn in the last few years. Two consecutive droughts along with a sharp fall in incomes have turned agriculture unprofitable resulting in massive agitations in several parts of the country. According to some estimates, in the 2017 Kharif season alone, an estimated Rs 360 billion has been denied to farmers for not being able to sell their produce at the state-mandated Minimum Support Price (MSP). The fall in farm incomes not only threatens to dent the ruling BJP electorally but could also raise a big question mark on the government’s promise to double incomes by 2022. In this perspective, Business Standard looks at budgetary allocation for agriculture and allied sectors in

The impressive numbers will come in handy for Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to hew close to the budgeted fiscal deficit number of 3.2% of GDP The disinvestment department has been told to bring a sum of Rs 1 trillion to the Budget table for FY18. Fresh from the success of crossing the annual disinvestment target for the first time, the finance ministry feels the department should be able to reach the sum by March 2018. “We have been told to make use of the buoyant market conditions to reach the magic figure,” a source in the know of the developments told Business Standard. Over the weekend, state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has bought out the entire 51 per cent government stake in downstream Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd for Rs 369.15 billion. With this sale, the total earnings from disinvestment in the financial year FY18 will reach Rs 912.53 billion. The  Budget 2018  estimate for sell-off for the year had stood at Rs 750 billion, which the depart