NEW DELHI: Brushing aside doubt in the wake of death of a sitting member, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today started the presentation Union Budget for 2017-18 as scheduled at 11 am.

Highlights of the Union budget for 2017-18 presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley:

  • Total infra outlay pegged at over Rs 390,000 crore

  • Solar plan phase 2 to add 20,000 MW capacity

  • Road sector allocation at Rs 64,000 crore

  • Rs 500 cr allocated to set up Mahila Shakti Kendras; Allocation raised from Rs 1.56 lakh crore to Rs 1.84 lakh crore for women and child welfare.

  • Charges for e-booking of railway tickets through IRCTC withdrawn

  • Two new AIIMS for Jharkhand and Gujarat

  • National testing agency to conduct entrance exams for higher education

  • Affordable housing to get infrastructure status to avail benefits

  • Five special purpose vehicles for tourism sector

  • Drought proofing of Gram Panchayats via construction of five lakh ponds across India: Jaitley

  • Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on said Indian Railways' autonomy would be maintained even after its budget was merged with the Union Budget 2017-18.

  • Rural, agriculture and allied sectors' allocations up 24% to Rs 187,223 crore

  • 100% village electrification will be achieved by May 1,2018

  • National Housing Bank will refinance indiviual loans worth Rs 20,000 cr in 2017-18

  • 1.5 lakh health sub centres to be converted to Health Wellness Centre

  • One crore houses for poor by 2019

  • Agricultural credit target fixed at Rs 10 lakh crore

  • Agriculture expected to grow at 4.1% in current year MGNREGA allocation raised to RS 48,000 crore

  • Firmly believe that GST, demonetisation, built on JAM, will have an epoch-making impact on the lives of our people

  • Demonetisation aims to create a new normal, where the GDP would be bigger, cleaner and real

  • Recalls #MahatmaGandhi's words: A right cause never fails

  • 3 challenges in current global scenario:Monetary stance of US FED Reserve, Commodity prices specially crude oil & retreat from globalisation

  • We have moved from a discretionary administration to a policy-based administration

  • Expectations included burning issues like inflation and price rise, issue of corruption & crony capitalism

  • Our government was elected amidst huge expectations of people, the underlying theme of expectations being good governance

  • Hope to resolve all issues regarding GST via consultations

  • We are moving from informal to formal economy & the Government is now seen as a trusted custodian of public money