It has comprehensively addressed all areas of socio-

economic priority: farmers, poor and under-privileged

sections of the society, infrastructure development and
strengthening of the financial sector.
The Finance Minister has rightly prioritized investment
in infrastructure and the rural economy, with a focus on
inclusive growth and capacity building.
 The increase in capital spending and the proposals
for investment in a range of areas from affordable
housing to roads and railways would not only have a
multiplier impact on other sectors of the economy
but also enhance employment generation and make
the growth inclusive.
The thrust on digital transactions will increase the
size of the formal economy and also make the
payment systems more convenient and efficient. The
tax measures are aimed at improving direct tax
mobilization by broadening the tax base and
improving tax administration.
 The Union Budget 2017 has demonstrated
fiscal prudence while placing a strong
emphasis on infrastructure building and in
addressing the housing needs of rural India
and of specific income segments in urban
India, said Anita Arundas, CEO/MD,
Mahindra Lifespace Developers
 We welcome the conferment of infrastructure status
to affordable housing, which can improve resource
allocation to the sector, thereby reducing cost of
capital for developers. Moreover, the changes
under Section 80 IB with respect to size of units
(built up area to carpet area).
Timeframes for project completion (3 years to 5
years) and geography (upto 60 sq.m. beyond the 4
metros) will encourage greater participation by
organised developers in the affordable housing
segment, thereby catalysing development and
reducing the supply gap.
 Interest subsidies announced last year under PMAY
and further broadened during the recent address of the
Prime Minister will further help reduce cost of home
ownership for the relevant segment.
Enhancement of budget allocation under PMAY and
to NHB will greatly help finance these segments.
The focus accorded to housing and infrastructure will
provide impetus to accessibility, connectivity and job
creation,which bodes well for the nation's economy.
 Positive budget for the common man from the point of
view of health care delivery Rs. 6000/- transfer to each
pregnant lady which is a nationwide program will help
long way in offering medical care to pregnant ladies
during child birth, especially in rural India where Rs
6000/- is a large sum of money
some impact on the maternal and infant mortality in a
positive manner, allotment of Rs.1, 84,632 crore for
women and children alone will be a big support to
protect the lives of venerable group of people
Elimination of TB by 2025 is a possible target
however with big investment said, Devi Shetty,
Founder and Chairman, Narayana Hrudayalaya.
 The fact that government has made a declaration should
help the infrastructure development to make it happen.
Two Aims one is Jharkhand and Gujarat will definitely
help improving the tertiary health care of that area and
also to train world class doctors for which Aims are
famous for. About undertaking structural transformation
of the regulator frame work of medical education will be
a game changer if implemented properly.
Over a period of three years we have seen positive
developments by the government in transforming the frame
work of medical education. The single step will be
thousand times more powerful than additional allocation of
funds. Aadhar based smart card for senior citizens to
monitor the health will be a positive step towards universal
EMR which is absolutely required for transforming health
care using digital technology," Shetty said.

On the whole , he said, it is a positive budget for the

common man from the point of view of health care
delivery.
The focus on investment in infrastructure was expected and
in line with previous policy direction. An infrastructure gap
in India has likely hampered growth and contributed to
economic volatility. Higher government spending in that
area may partly address the infrastructure constraints, said
William Foster, vice president, Sovereign Risk Group,
Moodys Investors Service, in an emailed statement
Affordable housing has been given infrastructure status
and tax incentives have been given, too. Lock-in period
for long-term capital gains on land and buildings
reduced from three to two years.
Customs, excise duties cut on machinery, parts used to
manufacture solar power project components.
Realty stocks such as Godrej Properties Ltd, Housing
Development and Infrastructure Ltd and Prestige Estates
Projects Ltd rose by around 6% on easier access to low-cost
funds. DLF rose by 6.7%, although it has little exposure to
the affordable housing category.
Construction firms with a greater exposure to roads, such as
IRB Infrastructure Developers Ltd, rose by 2.5%. GMR
Infrastructure Ltd gained due to the sops for roads and
airports. Larsen and Toubro Ltd gained as it is the largest play
on infrastructure.
Shares of Bharat Electronics Ltd and BEML Ltd gained in the
range of 1-3%, on higher defence and metro rail allocations.
For transportation sector as a whole, including rail,
roads, shipping, provision of ` 2,41,387 crores has been
made in 2017-18.
For 2017-18, the total capital and development
expenditure of Railways has been pegged at ` 1,31,000
crores. This includes ` 55,000 crores provided by the
Government
For passenger safety, a Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh
will be created with a corpus of ` 1 lakh crores over a
period of 5 years
Unmanned level crossings on Broad Gauge lines
will be eliminated by 2020
In the next 3 years, the throughput is proposed to be
enhanced by 10%. This will be done through
modernisation and upgradation of identified corridors.
Railway lines of 3,500 kms will be commissioned in
2017-18. During 2017-18, at least 25 stations are expected
to be awarded for station redevelopment.
500 stations will be made differently abled friendly by
providing lifts and escalators.
It is proposed to feed about 7,000 stations with solar power in
the medium term
SMS based Clean My Coach Service has been started
Coach Mitra, a single window interface, to register all coach
related complaints and requirements to be launched
By 2019, all coaches of Indian Railways will be fitted with bio
toilets. Tariffs of Railways would be fixed, taking into
consideration costs, quality of service and competition from
other forms of transport
A new Metro Rail Policy will be announced with focus on
innovative models of implementation and financing, as well
as standardisation and indigenisation of hardware and
software
A new Metro Rail Act will be enacted by rationalising the
existing laws. This will facilitate greater private
participation and investment in construction and operation.
In the road sector, Budget allocation for highways
increased from 57,976 crores in BE 2016-17 to ` 64,900
crores in 2017-18
2,000 kms of coastal connectivity roads have been
identified for construction and development
Total length of roads, including those under PMGSY,
built from 2014-15 till the current year is about 1,40,000
kms which is significantly higher than previous three
years
In the road sector, Budget allocation for
highways increased from 57,976 crores in
BE 2016-17 to ` 64,900 crores in 2017-18
2,000 kms of coastal connectivity roads have
been identified for construction and
development
Total length of roads, including those under
PMGSY, built from 2014-15 till the current
year is about 1,40,000 kms which is
significantly higher than previous three years
Select airports in Tier 2 cities will be taken up for
operation and maintenance in the PPP mode
By the end of 2017-18, high speed broadband
connectivity on optical fibre will be available in more
than 1,50,000 gram panchayats, under BharatNet. A
DigiGaon initiative will be launched to provide tele-
medicine, education and skills through digital
technology
Proposed to set up strategic crude oil reserves at 2 more
locations, namely, Chandikhole in Odisha and Bikaner
in Rajasthan. This will take our strategic reserve
capacity to 15.33 MMT
Second phase of Solar Park development to be taken up for
additional 20,000 MW capacity.
For creating an eco-system to make India a global hub for
electronics manufacturing a provision of ` 745 crores in
2017-18 in incentive schemes like M-SIPS and EDF.
A new and restructured Central scheme with a focus on
export infrastructure, namely, Trade Infrastructure for Export
Scheme (TIES) will be launched in 2017-18