Rs 60,000 cr loans waived for farmers Presenting the fifth and the last full-fledged budget of the Congress-led UPA government, whose term is expiring in May 2009, Chidambaram waived farm loans totalling Rs 60,000 crore, gave massive relief to income-tax payers, slashed excise duties on a variety of consumer goods and earmarked massive outlays for the agricultural and social sectors.
Bounty for income tax payers
The salaried class will stand to benefit by up to Rs 44,000 a year in income tax following the changes proposed by the Finance Minister, which also provides for a minimum benefit of Rs 4,000.
Rs 100 cr for Mysore varsity
Coming after the Rs 100-crore grant to the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, in the last budget, Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s new budget also proposes to make two other universities along with Mysore as institutions of excellence in the coming fiscal.
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Presenting the fifth and the last full-fledged budget of the Congress-led UPA government, whose term is expiring in May 2009, Chidambaram waived farm loans totalling Rs 60,000 crore, gave massive relief to income-tax payers, slashed excise duties on a variety of consumer goods and earmarked massive outlays for the agricultural and social sectors. 
