==>> Highlights of Interim Budget

Highlights:
* Sustained growth of 9 per cent, witnessed in the last three years.
* Gross domestic savings rate increased from 29.8 per cent in 2003-04 to 30.7 per cent in 2007-08.
* Tax to GDP ratio increased from 9.2 per cent 2003-04 to 4.5 per cent 2007-08.
* Foodgrain production increased by 10 million tonnes each year to all time high of 230 million tonnes in 2007-08.
* Annual rate of growth in agriculture was 3.7 per cent.
* Foreign trade rose from 23.7 per cent of GDP to 35.5 per cent of GDP in 2007-08.
* Inflation rate fell to 4.4 per cent on Janaury 31, 2009.
* World economy, according to forecasts, will fare worse in 2009 than in 2008.
* Industrial production fell by two per cent in 2008 on a year to year basis.
* India is second fastest growing economy in the world with 7.1 per cent GDP expansion in 2008-09.
* Export growth rate in first nine months of 2008-09 touched 17.1 per cent. Industrial production fell by 2 per cent in December.
* 50 infrastructure projects worth Rs 67,700 crore given in-principle or final approval.
* India Infrastructure Finance Company to raise Rs 10,000 crore from market by end of March 2009.
* India Infrastructure Finance Company will finance 60 per cent of commercial loans in private public partnership in critical projects.
* Government relaxes Fiscal Responsibility Budget Management (FRBM) targets to counter global economic slowdown.
* FDI inflow between April-Nov 2008 was USD 23.3 billion, a growth of 45 per cent compared with that during the same period in 2007.
* Need for acclerating pace of policy reforms, particularly in financial sector, says Mukherjee.
* Agriculture credit has been increased by three fold to Rs 2,50,000 crore.
* Rs 65,300 crore in loans waived for farmers during 2008-09. It benefitted 3.6 crore households.
* Government to continue interest subvention scheme for farmers for loans up to Rs 3 lakhs.
* Minimum support price for wheat increased from Rs 630 to Rs 1080 per qunital.
* 60.4 lakh houses constructed under Indira Awas Yojana during the year.
* Rural infrastructure development scheme to be expanded through suitable allocations.