The three big things that caught our eye were:
- Government to print currency notes with Braille imprints; 15 new Braille presses to be established.
- MSME sector - 10,000 crore rupee fund by way of attracting further private equity and entrepreneurship friendly bankruptcy laws to facilitate easy exit
- Plans to provide investment allowance at 15% for three years to manufacturing company which invest more than Rs 25-crore in plant and machinery.
Some of the headlines in the Finance Minister's speech:
- Print media to continue to be exempted from Service Tax
- Huge boost to SME sector expected
- Retrospective amendments to tax laws
- GST contours may be finalised this year
- PPF, 80C limits raised for taxpayers
- Investment in 100 Smart Cities
- Education cess to continue at 3%
- Rs 200 cr set aside for setting up 6 more textile clusters
- Outer harbour project in Tuticorin (and five ports) to be developed
- Proposes Rs.5,000 crore for warehousing capacity; Rs.10,000 crore of private capital for start-up companies
- Rs.37,800 crore of investment in national and state highways
- To establish Export Promotion Mission
- 20 new industrial clusters to be set up
- Manufacturing units can sell products in retail through e-commerce platform without additional charges