Budget 2018: Big Push to farm, health care and rural sectors, says BS jury

A look at how BS Jury reacted to the Budget 2018 presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley

Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group

 

Kumar Mangalam Birla

 

The two signal areas of this Budget are agriculture and health. One key announcement that promises to be a game changer is the increase in minimum support prices (MSP) for agricultural products to 150 per cent of the cost of cultivation. The other significant announcement that will have large scale ramifications is the National Health Protection Scheme, that aims to provide medical insurance coverage to 100 million households, nearly 40 per cent of India’s population. This was a felt need