Proposals
Cars, cellphones, computers, air travel and life-saving drugs become cheaper; foreign remittances of up to $25,000 allowed; no income tax returns for those earning up to Rs 1.5 lakh per annum; easy baggage rules under which laptops can be imported duty-free
Beneficiary
Middle-class and rich families who use technology gadgets and travel abroad regularly
Proposals
Raise nearly Rs 20,000 crore by untangling crossholdings in oil psus and selling the government’s residual stake in others like PICL, VSNL, IBP and Dredging Corporation
Beneficiary
Government finances will get a boost despite giving several sops to corporates and help keep the fiscal deficit in check
Proposals
Children of NRIs based in the Gulf and Southeast Asia to get one-third reservation of the 15 per cent of the supernumerary seats in educational institutions; children of Gulf-based NRIs not to pay non-resident fees; NRIs returning back to be exempt from customs duties on six household items
Beneficiary
The huge non-resident community settled abroad or wishing to come back
Proposals
Peak customs duties reduced by 5 per cent; 4 per cent special additional customs duty removed; cap of $100 million on overseas investment removed; no restrictions on investments in agriculture sector abroad; and ECB guidelines eased with automatic approval in critical sectors
Beneficiary
Big corporate houses, especially those with huge cash flows and middle-class consumers
Proposals
SIDBI to raise Rs 10,000 crore for a special fund to offer cheaper credit at 2 per cent below prime lending rate
Beneficiary
Small- and medium-size companies who have little access to bank loans
Proposals
Nabard to form a Rs 50,000 crore to provide cheap loans for building ports, airports, power plants and telecom infrastructure
Beneficiary
Construction and infrastructure firms and contractors
Proposals
Loans for higher studies cheaper by 2 per cent; new schemes on the anvil
Beneficiary
Middle-class and rich families who send their kids abroad
Proposals
A Rs 50,000-crore fund for agricultural loans at a lower rate of 7 per cent
Beneficiary
Land-owning farmers, but they gain only for the coming rabi season
Proposals
Tax exemption for loans to rural housing schemes with flexible repayments; fci to raise funds to reduce the food subsidy by Rs 2,000 crore; and Atal Grameen Griha Yojana for rural housing to be kicked off this year
Beneficiary
The rural poor and government finances
Proposals
FDI caps in sectors like banking and energy hiked to 74 and 100 per cent, respectively, but foreign banks allowed 100 per cent ownership; oil psus still kept out. The cap in telecom may be increased soon.
Beneficiary
Foriegn firms who've been clamouring that all caps should be removed
Proposals
New Dada-Dadi bonds bearing a higher 6 per cent interest and exempt from income tax; pensioners who are out of the 1/6 scheme not to file returns
Beneficiary
Senior citizens who have seen savings rate drop in the past few years
