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The Government has delivered a progressive budget by focusing equally on infrastructure and rural development, education, healthcare and employment generation, with proposals to help create a climate for balanced growth.

The vision to drive inclusiveness through technology gets a definite impetus with the proposals to set up one lakh broadband-enabled common service centres in villages, connecting knowledge bodies and providing major universities with broadband services. Allocation of funds to accelerate power reforms and construction of roads will boost infrastructure development. The approval and fund allocation towards the State data centre scheme will help take the benefits of IT to the grassroots level.

On the taxation front, the reduced tax burden will be a relief to individual tax payers. It would have been a boon for Indian industry had the same been applied to corporate taxes. The exemption of customs duty on specified parts of set-top boxes and certain raw materials used in IT/ electronic hardware, as well as reduction in excise duty on wireless hardware cards and customs duty on convergence products are a welcome measure for the ICT industry.

Naresh Wadhwa, President and Country Manger – India and SAARC, Cisco

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