Budget 2018-19

  All businesses, except essential services, to remain shut; Rs 5,400 cr package announced Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday announced 15-day curfew in the state and sought central help in airlifting medical oxygen as Covid-19 cases continue to spike in the state, putting a burden on its health infrastructure. Public transport will continue but travel in suburban trains and buses will be only for people giving essential services. The tightening of curbs comes into effect on Wednesday night. On Tuesday a record 60,212 cases were reported in the state and the number of active cases has increased to over 500,000. While the state is getting oxygen by road,  Uddhav Thackeray  has requested the Indian Air Force help to airlift supplies. “If we do not break the chain now we will get strangled by the chain,” he said while announcing the new measures. Last week the state government had closed cinema halls, malls, multiplexes, and places of religious worship. T...

  Demand includes highest ever net cash outgo of Rs 4.12 trillion in the second supplementary demands for grants Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday sought Parliament’s approval for additional cash outgo of Rs 4.12 trillion, one of the highest ever in the second supplementary demand for grants in a financial year. The cash request is part of the total gross additional spending, pegged at Rs 6.28 trillion, after accounting for Rs 2.15 trillion of savings or reallocation from ministries with under-utilised funds.However, the provision for this gross additional spending was already being made in the revised estimates of the Union Budget announced on February 1. Of the total cash outgo, Rs 64,598 crore is towards enhanced expenditure fertiliser subsidy under  AtmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyan 3.0  and Rs 20,466 crore for capital outlay for defence services have been sought. Sources said that the reason for higher cash demand is on account of stimulus packages announced a...