This is a moderate budget as far as its positive implications on the real estate sector are concerned.

The Budget has recognised the need for providing top priority to agriculture in the policy making process and has also given significant importance to education and health.

Making a budgetary announcement for an innovative instrument in the housing loan market, the Union finance minister(FM)P Chidambaram said that the National Housing Bank would be introducing reverse mortgage.

Terming the Budget an aam aadmi budget, industry bodies CII, FICCI and Assocham held that Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s emphasis on basic sectors such as agriculture, education and health would strengthen the lower side of the pyramid.

Heeding the advice of the Left Bloc and a section of his own party men perhaps, the finance minister, P Chidambaram has allocated Rs 12,000 crore to extend the ambitious flagship project of the UPA government, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) to 130 more districts.

Among the major initiatives taken by the government for this fiscal were measures for underprivileged children.

Making an attempt to live up to its commitment for the uplift of the social sector, the UPA government has raised the total plan allocation for the social sector by a whopping 42%.

Finance minister P Chidambaram has failed to provide the much- needed impetus to the power sector.

In step with all the hype over development of roads, finance minister P Chidambaram has hiked the allocation for developing highways in the Budget for 2007-08 by more than Rs 700 crore.

Looks like social justice and equity issues are getting a great deal of prominence this year. We’ve been hearing the happy story of buoyant revenues for three years running.

The entertainers now demand to be entertained. While the Indian film industry does not come under the direct shadow of the union budget, which is to be announced on February 28, it is expecting the government to address its biggest concern—entertainment tax and the need to make it uniform across the country.

The country’s high economic growth has contributed to a corresponding growth in the IT and ITES sector, with companies, both large and small, displaying an increasing appetite to grow, mostly through the inorganic route.

The central issue in agriculture is remunerative prices for farmers. The National Common Minimum Programme of the ruling UPA coalition at the Centre has mentioned this aspect and the government has time and again been repeating it.

Civil aviation is arguably the only sector after telecom that has brought about a dramatic change in the lifestyle of the common man.

With the petroleum sector contributing the highest share of revenue to the central and state exchequer, the finance ministry faces a daunting task every year round Budget, when it comes to taking a fresh look at rationalisation of taxes and duties.

Infrastructure companies expect a cut in customs duty and clarification on various taxes from finance minister P Chidambaram in Budget 2007-08.

The Indian pharmaceuticals industry, which was disheartened by the Budget last year, is hoping for some reprieve.