[So, which are the sectors going to take the hit? That's the question we've got to ask ourselves. And seriously evaluate the way the budget is being packaged by its makers: <http://www.dnaindia.com/money/report-completely-wrong-to-call-budget-pro-corporate-says-modi-government-2065303>. ***Here is a fragment of an answer: "Even as Union finance minister Arun Jaitley in his 2015-16 Budget announced a slew of social security schemes and also increased outlay for the UPA's flagship programme under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) by Rs 5,000 crore, there were heavy cuts in other social sectors from agriculture, drinking water and sanitation, panchayat raj, water resources and to the ministry of women and child development to the tone of Rs 439,192.25 crore, in order to adjust fiscal deficit. There is also reduction in allocation of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe Plan as well." (See the report at sl. I below.) Here is another: "While the Department of School Education witnessed a budget cut of nearly Rs 13,000 crore, from Rs 55,115 crore to Rs 42, 210 crore, the Department of Higher Education saw a cut of around Rs 800 crore to around 26,800 crore this fiscal. The HRD Ministry's flagship Sarva Siksha Abhiyan also saw a cut from Rs 28,635 crore last fiscal to around Rs 22,000 crore now." (See the report at sl. II below.) Yet another: "Overall, India's health budget has been cut by 5.7 percent percent as Jaitley allocated Rs.33,152 crore against last fiscal's Rs.35,163 crores, with a special focus on AYUSH and setting up of six more AIIMS-like institutes in different parts of the country." (See the report at sl. III below.) this needs be read together with: "Asia's third-largest economy spends about 1 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on public health, compared with 3 percent in China and 8.3 percent in the United States. " (See: <http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/02/28/india-health-budget-idINKBN0LW0LQ20150228>.) Then: "Finance minister Arun Jaitley's budget has cut the allocation for the ministry of environment, forests and climate change (MoEFCC) by nearly a quarter to Rs.1,681.60 crore in 2015-16 compared with the amount budgeted for the current fiscal year." (See the report at sl. IV below.)***
And, finally: "Government on Saturday increased the defence budget by 9.87 per cent to Rs 2.46 lakh crore for the next fiscal as compared to the revised estimates of Rs 2.22 lakh crore for 2014-15 as it pushes 'Make in India' initiative to curtail over-dependence on imports." (See the report at sl. V below.) ***It sounds rather weird that import substitution is going to cost more, and not less!*** Also see the report at sl. no. VI below.] I/VI. http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-axe-on-social-sector-to-adjust-fiscal-deficit-2065212 Budget 2015: Axe on social sector to adjust fiscal deficit? Sunday, 1 March 2015 - 6:25am IST | Place: New Delhi | Agency: dna | >From the print edition Iftikhar Gilani ***There were heavy cuts in social sectors from agriculture, drinking water and sanitation, panchayat raj, water resources and to the ministry of women and child development to the tone of Rs 439,192.25 crore, in order to adjust fiscal deficit.*** [Emphasis added.] Farmers listen to FM Arun Jaitley's Budget speech on radio at a village in South Dinajpur district of West Bengal on Saturday ***Even as Union finance minister Arun Jaitley in his 2015-16 Budget announced a slew of social security schemes and also increased outlay for the UPA's flagship programme under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) by Rs 5,000 crore, there were heavy cuts in other social sectors from agriculture, drinking water and sanitation, panchayat raj, water resources and to the ministry of women and child development to the tone of Rs 439,192.25 crore, in order to adjust fiscal deficit. There is also reduction in allocation of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe Plan as well.*** [Emphasis added.] Which departments are affected by fiscal cuts? In the department of agriculture, allocations have been reduced from Rs 19,852 in previous year to Rs 1,7004. The finance minister has, however, increased outlay for agriculture research from Rs 4,384 crore to Rs 6,320 crore. But his amount is almost equal to what UPA had allocated in its last budget - Rs 6,144 crore. The ministry of panchayati raj, a symbol of grassroots empowerment has been affected heavily with its allocations cut to Rs 94.75 crore from Rs 3,400.69 crore in previous year. The UPA's last budget had set aside Rs 7,000 crore for this ministry. There are zero allocations for Rajiv Gandhi Panchayat Sasshakatikaran Abhiyaan and Backward Regions Grant Fund. These programmes in earlier Budget were provided Rs 2,637 crore and Rs 483 crore respectively. Another arm of government taking a hit is the department of land resources. Its funds have been cut to Rs 1,637 crore form Rs 2,508 crore. In the UPA's last Budget it was provided Rs 3,759 crore. What about PM's pet projects? In the ministry of drinking water and sanitation, which includes clean Indian campaign, the allocations have been halved frorm Rs 1,2107 crore to Rs 6,243.87 crore. But the finance ministry has defended this cut on account of 14th Finance Commission devolving tax resources to states. It has proposed that revenue expenditure for Swach Bharat will be now borne by the states and subsequent to the funding pattern, overall expenditure will not decrease. But the surprising cut is in the allocation of ministry of resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation. The ministry under Uma Bharti will now get Rs 4,232 crore against Rs 6,009 earmarked last year. The only head which has seen an increase is National Ganga Plan with an allocation of Rs 2,100 crore against Rs 1,500 crore over previous year. Why this Budget could bring a shock for Maneka Gandhi? The women and child development ministry funds have been slashed to Rs. 10382.40 crore from Rs. 18588.39 crore. The fine print of Budget documents further reveal that in the sector wise funds for central plan outlay for rural development have been heavily slashed from Rs. 51757 crore allocated by the last Budget of UPA to Rs. 3131 crore in 2015-16. What are other cuts announced in the Union Budget? Compared to last year 2014-15 allocations - Scheduled Caste sub Plan (SCSP) allocation was Rs. 43,208 crore and to Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) was Rs.26,714 crore. But in 2015-16, just Rs. 30,000 crore and Rs. 19,000 crore have been allocated respectively. What are positive take-aways for poor in the Union Budget? There are, however, few cheers like ushering in an universal social security system, shifting from Jan Dhan to Jan Suraksha. Noting that a large population of India is without insurance of any kind -- health, accident or life, Jaitley promised to create a universal system for all Indians, particularly the poor and the under-privileged. The soon-to-be-launched Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojna will cover accidental death isk of Rs 2 lakh for a premium of just Rs 12 per year or just a Rupee per month, while another scheme to be launched is the Atal Pension Yojna which will provide a defined pension, depending on the contribution. The third social security scheme Jaitley unveiled is the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana which covers both natural and accidental risk of Rs 2 lakh, requiring the premium of Rs 330 per year. II/VI. http://indianexpress.com/article/business/budget/new-iit-iims-but-education-sees-17-cut/ New IIT, IIMs but education sees 17% cut Written by Ruhi Tewari | March 1, 2015 1:36 am ***Even as the NDA government announced new IITs and IIMs in the Budget, the allocation for the crucial education sector was slashed significantly by nearly 17 per cent as compared to the Budget Estimates of 2014-15, with school education bearing the brunt of the cut.*** [Emphasis added.] ***While the Department of School Education witnessed a budget cut of nearly Rs 13,000 crore, from Rs 55,115 crore to Rs 42, 210 crore, the Department of Higher Education saw a cut of around Rs 800 crore to around 26,800 crore this fiscal. The HRD Ministry's flagship Sarva Siksha Abhiyan also saw a cut from Rs 28,635 crore last fiscal to around Rs 22,000 crore now.*** [Emphasis added.] In the revised estimates for 2014-15, while school education allocation was cut by around Rs 80,000 crore, that of higher education was slashed by Rs 4,000 crore. The government announced new IIMs in J&K and Andhra Pradesh, and a new IIT in Karnataka. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also announced the decision to upgrade the Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, into a full-fledged IIT, going against the recommendation of an expert committee headed by former IIT Mumbai director Ashok Mishra. The panel, constituted by the previous UPA government, had said it would dilute the institute's brand. The Budget also seeks to make educational loans easier. HRD Minister Smriti Irani praised the Budget for being "very pragmatic". COMING UP: * AIIMS in J&K, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and Assam, a second AIIMS-like institute in Bihar * IIT in Karnataka * Upgrade Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, into full-fledged IIT * Post-graduate Institute of Horticulture Research and Education in Amritsar * IIMs in J&K, Andhra Pradesh * Upgrade National Institute of Speech and Hearing in Kerala * Three new National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh * Institutes of Science and Education Research in Nagaland, Orissa * Centre for Film Production, Animation and Gaming in Arunachal Pradesh III/VI. http://zeenews.india.com/news/health/health-news/budget-allocation-for-aiims-cut-marginally_1554314.html Budget allocation for AIIMS cut marginally Last Updated: Saturday, February 28, 2015 - 20:44 New Delhi: The allocation for the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here witnessed a marginal drop in the budget for 2015-16 presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Saturday. ***Overall, India's health budget has been cut by 5.7 percent percent as Jaitley allocated Rs.33,152 crore against last fiscal's Rs.35,163 crores, with a special focus on AYUSH and setting up of six more AIIMS-like institutes in different parts of the country.*** [Emphasis added.] The ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH) was allotted Rs.1,214 crore with the aim to propagate traditional methods of medicines in the country. AYUSH till last year was a department under the health ministry. Of the medical institutes, AIIMS got Rs.1,470 crore, down from last fiscal's Rs.1,565 crore. In 2013-14, it was Rs.1,355 crore. AIIMS is among India's top medical colleges, with its hospital catering to almost 8,000 patients daily, mostly from the underprivileged sections. It has over 2,200 beds. With six more AIIMS-like institutes, the number of such super specialty institutes has gone up to 14 in the country. However, many other hospitals and research institutes saw a rise in the allotments. Safdarjung Hospital, adjacent to AIIMS, has been allocated Rs.520 crore, up from Rs.486.90 crore. While the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital will get Rs.400 crore as compared to Rs 322.77 crore in the last fiscal. Lady Hardinge Medical College has been allotted Rs.250 crore as against Rs.238.15 crore in 2014-15. Kalawati Saran Hospital in the national capital, which caters specifically to children, was allotted Rs.73.80 crore as against Rs.67.44 crore last year. The Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh has been allotted Rs.650 crore as against Rs.620 crore. The department of AIDS control too got a hike of 7.4 percent. It was allotted Rs.1,397 crore this fiscal as against Rs.1,300 in 2014-15. IV/VI. http://www.livemint.com/Politics/4nHSOvIAzn2dqvqHJSR19O/Budget-2015-Jaitley-cuts-allocation-to-environment-ministry.html Budget 2015: Jaitley cuts allocation to environment ministry Arun Jaitley has cut the allocation for the ministry of environment, forests and climate change by nearly a quarter to Rs1,681.60 crore in 2015-16 Mayank Aggarwal In his first full-year budget, Jaitley pared the allocation for Project Tiger--India's most celebrated wildlife conservation programme--to Rs.136.46 crore in the year starting 1 April, a decrease of around 15% from Rs.161.02 crore in 2014-15. Photo: AP New Delhi: ***Finance minister Arun Jaitley's budget has cut the allocation for the ministry of environment, forests and climate change (MoEFCC) by nearly a quarter to Rs.1,681.60 crore in 2015-16 compared with the amount budgeted for the current fiscal year.*** The environment ministry is tasked with environmental protection, tackling climate change, controlling pollution, managing forests and wildlife. In his first full-year budget, Jaitley pared the allocation for Project Tiger--India's most celebrated wildlife conservation programme--to Rs.136.46 crore in the year starting 1 April, a decrease of around 15% from Rs.161.02 crore in 2014-15. The All India Tiger Estimation Report released in January said the tiger population had increased by 30% from 2010 to 2,226 in 2014. Experts had called for a focused approach towards maintaining and protecting the increase in the population of the big cats and urged further work on tiger corridors and technological interventions for their security. Around Rs.750 crore has been earmarked for the ecology and environment which includes Rs.100 crore for a national coastal management programme, Rs.76.10 crore for environmental monitoring and governance and around Rs.150 crore for the National Afforestation Programme. Last year, the government had announced creation of a National Adaptation Fund to tackle effects of climate change on agriculture and setting up of a National Centre for Himalayan Studies in Uttarakhand to work for the conservation of the Himalayas. Both of them are still works in progress. V/VI, http://zeenews.india.com/news/india/union-budget-2015-defence-allocation-increased-by-9-87_1554162.html Union Budget 2015: Defence allocation increased by 9.87% Last Updated: Saturday, February 28, 2015 - 16:07 New Delhi: ***Government on Saturday increased the defence budget by 9.87 per cent to Rs 2.46 lakh crore for the next fiscal as compared to the revised estimates of Rs 2.22 lakh crore for 2014-15 as it pushes 'Make in India' initiative to curtail over-dependence on imports.*** [Emphasis added.] While the government had last year alloted Rs 2.29 lakh crore in the budget, it was revised to Rs 2,22,370 crore. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley underlined that defence of every square inch of our mother land comes before anything else. "So far, we have been over dependent on imports, with its attendant unwelcome spin-offs," he said, adding that government has already permitted FDI in defence. He said this was done so that the Indian-controlled entities also become manufacturers of defence equipments, not "only for us, but for export". Speaking on the steps taken to boost the defence sector, Jaitley said the government is working towards self- sufficiency through the Make in India programme in defence equipment including aircraft and added that the government has been both transparent and quick in making defence equipment related purchase decisions. "This year too, I have provided adequately for the needs of the armed forces. As against likely expenditure of this year of Rs 2,22,370 crore the budget allocation for 2015-16 is Rs 2,46,727 crore," he said in his budget address. PTI VI. http://www.livemint.com/Politics/OoS4FlZ0qRxxqLrTlAuS8J/Budget-2015-Infrastructure-investment-to-be-raised-by-Rs70.html#nav=editor_picks Budget 2015: Infrastructure investment to be raised by Rs70,000 crore Jaitley said public investment in the new fiscal year will be Rs1.25 trillion higher than the revised estimates of the last year Ragini Verma | Vangmayi Parakala Snipped -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
