Budget highlights

 

  • Fiscal deficit estimated at around 9.5 per cent has come to 5.7 per cent.
  • The minimum wages of unskilled workers raised from Rs. 150 to Rs. 225, while those of skilled labour to Rs. 350 from Rs. 225. A new category of highly skilled worker was introduced and Rs. 400 was fixed as the minimum wage.
  • The lives of construction workers have been insured, protected them against disability, disease and death
  • Strict discipline of no re-appropriation after December 31st 2017 resulted in more than 50 per cent of the outlays being spent
  • With the budgetary edifice in place, now is the time to consolidate the fiscal and budgetary reforms at the departmental level sustained and self-generating efficiency gains.
  • Complete revamp of the corporate governance structure of the J&KSPDC
  • J&K State Finance Corporation has issued a share buyback offer
  • Finance department has initiated the process of financial engineering in Public Enterprises. J&KSPDC, for instance, has made considerable progress towards financial engineering
  • Handicraft Development and Handloom Development Corporations shall be provided with Rs 5 crore each for raw material and inventory up-gradation.
  • SRTC to get focused. The organisation will be showcased for public-private partnership mode.
  • 1 per cent Dearness Allowance announced due to the employees from 1st July 2017.
  • Reduced the eligibility for full pension from 33 years of qualifying service to 20 years of qualifying service, benefitting more than half of the number of employees on the rolls.
  • Unmarried daughters of the employees, who were hitherto not entitled to receive pension, have now been made eligible to receive pension once the employee and his/her spouse is no more.
  • Deposit Linked Insurance of GP Fund subscribers increased from Rs.10 lakh to Rs.50 lakh. Similar Scheme shall be framed for the employees covered under NPS.
  • All the Government employees including pensioners, along with 5 family members, shall be covered under improved and enhanced Group Mediclaim Insurance Policy. Given the fact that there are 4.5 lakh employees, and about 1.5 lakh pensioners, this insurance cover extends to about 30 lakh people.
  • Personal Accidental Insurance from Rs.5.00 lakh to Rs.10.00 lakhs has been increased.
  • “Assured Career Progression Scheme” for all the Gazetted cadres of engineering departments has been proposed in the Budget 2018-19.
  • Assured Career Progression to other technical cadres like Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal & Sheep Husbandry etc.
  • Alternate incentive in lieu of CST to the industrial units in the State.
  • Freight subsidy to the industrial units located in the State and transporting their manufactured goods beyond 1000 kilometres outside the state.
  • The State Government shall make available refund of SGST to all the industrial units, which were hitherto eligible for VAT exemption.
  • Hotels and resorts to be treated at par with the industries as far as payment of power tariff is concerned. From 1st April, 2018, they will now have to pay the same power tariff as is applicable to the Industries.
  • Roll out of CM’s Business Interest Relief Scheme. For all the RBI approved restructured accounts, the Government will contribute one third of the total interest payment of all these borrowers.
  • One time waiver of Rs. 147.23 lakh on soft loans provided under erstwhile Prime Minister’s Package in respect of 19 Houseboat owners, who had taken such loans from Banks other than J&K Bank and SBI.
  • Waiver of penalty and interest on arrears of tax in respect of all the dealers registered under the provisions of J&K Value Added Tax, 2005 and J&K General Sales Tax Act, 1962.
  • Interest and penalty on all the power arrears owed to the Government by the industrialists and hoteliers and tourist resort owners shall be waived off.
  • Under Amnesty Scheme for transport sector, interest and penalty on past arrears of token and passenger tax from 1st July, 2016 to 31st March, 2017 to be waived off.
  • Education loans available from banks have the repayments deferred till completion of course, the interest during the moratorium period is back-breaking for most of the students.
  • More trades having entry qualification as 8th pass, both under NCVT/SCVT norms, be introduced.
  • Every transgender shall be treated as living under BPL unless indicated otherwise.
  • Free life and medical insurance cover and a monthly sustenance pension on the pattern of old age pension scheme for all transgender people above the age of 60 who are registered with the social welfare department is proposed.
  • Creation of a Common Facility Centre for Cricket Bat Industry at Sethar, Anantnag by making an attractive public-private partnership offer.
  • Setting up of walnut processing units in the private sector through an enabling interest subvention scheme.
  • Small initiative of setting up of a community based marketing network to encourage saffron growers to go back to the traditional system of cultivation, for which I am earmarking Rs. 5 crore is also proposed.
  • Rs.25.00 crore set aside to finance orchard re-plantation/ high density plantation initiative.
  • In the interim, till the scheme to facilitate private players to establish more CA stores in the State is designed and operationalised, a scheme for the hiring of CA stores in the areas adjacent to the NCR by the horticulture department for the use of apple growers of the state.
  • Setting up of a J&K Renewal Energy Corporation which will catalyze the development of renewable energy resources is also proposed.
  • Capital infusion of Rs. 255 crore in Anantnag Central Cooperative Bank, Baramulla Central Cooperative Bank, and Jammu Central Cooperative Bank is proposed.
  • Disaster Mitigation Fund set up with an initial corpus of Rs. 10.00 crore.
  • Uniform Employment Code for the State, containing all the labour laws in force in the State. The proposed Employment Code shall set out the framework for terms of employment and service of all the workers except domestic workers and agricultural labour and a strong, independent and separate labour judiciary.
  • State Finance Commission in terms of the Jammu and Kashmir State Finance Commission for Panchayats and Municipalities Act, 2011.
  • A committee of officers and professionals in the area of taxation and industry has been constituted to work out the framework for bringing real estate, electricity, alcohol and Petroleum a J&K GST.
  • Electricity to be brought under the ambit of GST. The reason being that under GST Input Tax Credit can be availed for electricity. This will boost the industrial sector and also encourage investment in power projects in the State.

. No GST on Vegetables, Medicines, Sugar, Salt, Tea, Soaps/Detergents, Sanitary items, Water coconut, Wheat seeds, Tree spray oil, Newsprint and Jaggery (Gur).

 

 

 

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