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Highlights: Budget will drive economic revival post Covid-19, says India Inc

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Budget 2021 Live Updates: Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Nirmala Sitharaman for her Budget amid Covid-19 constraints; Opposition parties found nothing impressive in the Budget.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presents the Union Budget 2021-22 in Lok Sabha in New Delhi on Monday. (ANI)
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presents the Union Budget 2021-22 in Lok Sabha in New Delhi on Monday. (ANI)

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her third Budget, the Budget which was like never before, in Parliament on Monday. Her two-hour-long speech got disrupted when the ministers talked elaborately on farm sectors, on her government's commitment to farmers' benefit. In her speech, she also mentioned 'privatisation' several times, which is being seen as a departure from the general practice as government shies away from mentioning the word.


This was the first digital Budget presentation, where the finance minister read out the speech from a tab, made in India. The electronic copies were distributed to members of Parliament. The Budget allocated 35,000 crore for Covid-19 vaccines


Prime Minister Narendra Modi, defence minister Rajnath Singh, home minister Amit Shah and other BJP leaders praised the Budget for being holistic in approach. Though it does not have an announcement of tax exemption, there are several announcements which will indirectly help middle-class people through infrastructure development, job creation, ministry officials said.

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This was the first digital Budget presentation, where the finance minister read out the speech from a tab, made in India. The electronic copies were distributed to members of Parliament. The Budget allocated 35,000 crore for Covid-19 vaccines


Prime Minister Narendra Modi, defence minister Rajnath Singh, home minister Amit Shah and other BJP leaders praised the Budget for being holistic in approach. Though it does not have an announcement of tax exemption, there are several announcements which will indirectly help middle-class people through infrastructure development, job creation, ministry officials said.

Follow all the updates here:
Feb 1, 2021, 12:58:43 IST

Budget Live: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor slams Budget

Feb 1, 2021, 12:54:03 IST

Budget Live 2021: Nirmala Sitharaman concludes speech, no change in IT slabs

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has concluded her Budget speech. There has been no announcement for individual tax payers.

Feb 1, 2021, 12:50:00 IST

Budget Live 2021: Customs duty on auto parts to be raised

Customs duty on some auto parts to be raised to 15%, announces FM

Feb 1, 2021, 12:47:19 IST

Budget Live 2021: FM's announcement of PF

Late deposit of employee's contribution (towards social security) will not be allowed as a deduction to the employer, says Nirmala Sitharaman

Feb 1, 2021, 12:44:55 IST

Budget Live 2021: Income tax filing has gone up.

Nirmala Sitharaman says Income tax return filers increased to 6.48 crore in 2020 from 3.31 crore in 2014

Feb 1, 2021, 12:40:39 IST

Budget Live 2021: Sop for housing

> Affordable housing projects can avail a tax holiday for one more year till 31 March 2022.

> Notified rental housing projects can avail of tax exemptions.

Feb 1, 2021, 12:33:20 IST

Budget Live 2021: Exemption for senior citizens

Senior citizens who only have pension income are exempt from filing income tax returns. "We shall reduce the compliance burden for those 75 years and above. Senior citizens above 75 years of age with only interest income will not have to file income tax returns," the FM said.

Feb 1, 2021, 12:26:04 IST

Budget Live 2021: Nirmala Sitharaman on fiscal deficit

> Fiscal deficit in 2020-21 is pegged at 9.5% of the GDP.

> Gross borrowing will be around 12 lakh crore in the next fiscal.

> We need 80,000 crore from the markets in the last two months of financial year 2021-22

Feb 1, 2021, 12:12:02 IST

Agri Budget: What Nirmala Sitharaman said

> Increase in agriculture credit target to 16.5 lakh crore.

> MSP procurement will continue at a steady pace.

Feb 1, 2021, 12:09:44 IST

Education Budget 2021: FM announced education budget

> More than 15,000 schools will be qualitatively strengthened

> 100 new Sainik schools to be set up

> Legislation for umbrella body of higher education

> Central university in Leh

Feb 1, 2021, 12:06:50 IST

Budget 2021: FM on migrant workers

> 32 states covering 69 crore beneficiaries have implemented One Nation One Ration card.

> A site compiling details of workers

Feb 1, 2021, 12:00:52 IST

Budget 2021: Members disrupt as FM talks about farm reforms

As finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman talks about farm reforms taken up in 2020, members disrupt her. " The data I am going to give now is important for all members in the House," FM says.

Feb 1, 2021, 11:57:33 IST

Budget 2021: Two PSBs to be taken up in 2021

"We propose to take up two public sector banks and one general insurance companies for stake sale in FY22. I propose to move amendments to the law this year. We will also bring LIC's IPO this fiscal," Nirmala Sitharaman says

Feb 1, 2021, 11:53:29 IST

Budget 2021: How markets react to FM's announcements

Sensex jumps 950 points to 47,238.55, Nifty nears 13,900 as Sitharaman makes key budget announcements

Feb 1, 2021, 11:50:00 IST

Budget 2021: Deposit Insurance ₹5 lakh

FM announced 20,000 crore for PSB recapitalisation and 5 lakh for as deposit insurance.

Feb 1, 2021, 11:46:43 IST

Budget 2021: Insurance companies to have 74% FDI

Nirmala Sitharaman proposes change in laws to permit FDI in insurance sector from 49% to 74 %

Feb 1, 2021, 11:44:04 IST

Budget 2021: Ujjwala scheme to be extended to 1 crore more

Ujjwala scheme will be extended to 1 crore additional families, FM said. About eight crore are already covered under this scheme.

Feb 1, 2021, 11:40:23 IST

Budget 2021: ₹1.10 lakh crore from Railways

Sitharaman announces 1.10 lakh crore outlay for railways.

Feb 1, 2021, 11:37:41 IST

Budget 2021: Allocation for Jal Jeevan Mission

Feb 1, 2021, 11:35:01 IST

Budget India 2021: Highway works proposed in Kerala, West Bengal

Nirmala Sitharaman spelt out the proposed highways works in several states.

> 3,500 km corridor in Tamil Nadu

> 1,100 km in Kerala at investment of 65,000 cr

> 675 km in West Bengal at a cost of 95,000 cr

> 1,300 km in Assam in the next 3 years

Feb 1, 2021, 11:33:06 IST

Budget India 2021: FM on railways reforms

Indian Railways has prepared a national railways plan by 2030. It will bring down the logistics cost, Nirmala Sitharaman said.

Feb 1, 2021, 11:29:48 IST

Budget India 2021: Special scheme to nudge states to spend more of their budget on infrastructure

"In 2020-21, we have provided for 4.12 lakh crore for capital expenditure. We are likely to end at 4.39 lakh crore towards it. We will provide 5.54 lakh crore towards Capital Expecditure in FY22 - 34% more than the budget estimates of last year," says FM

Feb 1, 2021, 11:27:57 IST

Vaccine Budget: ₹35,000 crore for covid-19 vaccines

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced 35,000 crore for Covid-19 vaccines.

Feb 1, 2021, 11:25:33 IST

Health Budget 2021: Nirmala Sitharaman announces ₹2,83,846 lakh crore for health and wellness

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced 2,83,846 lakh crore for health and wellness sector which also includes 35,000 crore for Covid-19 vaccines.

Feb 1, 2021, 11:19:43 IST

India Budget 2021: FM announced voluntary vehicle scrapping policy

Nirmala Sitharaman announced a voluntary vehicle scrapping policy where vehicles will undergo fit test.

Home Budget Highlights: Budget will drive economic revival post Covid-19, says India Inc