India’s Finance Minister Arun Jaitley arrives at the parliament to present the federal budget for the 2016/17 fiscal year, in New Delhi, India, February 29, 2016. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley unveiled a budget for the poor on Monday, announcing new rural aid and health programmes in a strategy shift that could boost his ruling party in coming state elections.
Here are the highlights of Jaitley’s budget for the fiscal year that begins on April 1:
RURAL ECONOMY
* Rural jobs programme allocated 385 billion rupees ($5.61 billion) in 2016/17
* Farmer welfare budget in 2016/17 to total 359.84 billion rupees
* Rural road development to get 190 billion rupees in 2016/17
* Target of agriculture credit at 9 trillion rupees in 2016/17
* Interest subvention towards farm loans in 2016/17 at 150 billion rupees
($1 = 68.6700 Indian rupees)
(Compiled by Tommy Wilkes and Krishna N. Das)