Budget 2018-19: No change in personal income tax rates & more

12:45 pm: Finance minister proposes increase in custom duty on mobile phones to 20% from 15%

12:43 pm: Standard deduction of Rs 40,000 for salaried employees in lieu of transport and medical expenses says Finance Minister Jaitley

12:39 pm: Budget 2018: Jaitley proposes to extend 25% corporate tax rate to companies with revenue up to Rs 250 crore

12:37 pm: FM says I do not wish to make any changes to personal income tax rates applicable to individuals

12:35 pm: The Finance Minister proposes two defence industrial corridors in the country to promote domestic production

12: 30 pm: National Insurance Co, Oriental Insurance Co and United Assurance Co to be merged into one entity and subsequently listed.

12:26 pm: Emoluments of the President to be revised to Rs 5 lakh per month and Vice-president to Rs 4 lakh per month.

12:17 pm: My government will also establish a dedicated affordable housing fund in the National Housing Bank funded from priority sector lending, says FM Jaitley.

12:14 pm: Regional air connectivity scheme shall connect 56 unserved airports and 31 unserved helipads.

12:12 pm: Optic fibre will be laid in one lakh gram panchayats; five lakh Wi-Fi spots to be set up in rural areas, proposes FM.

12:11 pm: Jaitley says Centre to contribute 12% of wages to new employees under EPF.

12:07 pm: FM proposes railways stations with more than 25,000 footfall to have escalators. All railway stations and trains will have Wi-Fi and CCTVs subsequently. Over Rs 1.48 lakh crore to be allocated for railways in next fiscal, added Jaitley.

12:02 pm: Under AMRUT programme water supply to all households will be ensured in 500 cities. Water supply contracts worth 19,428 core for 494 projects have  been awarded.

12:01 pm: Employees PF Act to be amended to reduce contribution of women to 8 pc from 12 pc with no change in employer's contribution, says FM Arun Jaitley.

12:00 pm: Target of Rs 3 lakh cr for lending under PM MUDRA Yojana in 2018-19, says FM, adding Government proposes outlay of Rs 7,148 crore for textile sector.

11:59 am: Government's budget for health, education and social security increased to Rs 1.38 lakh crore for 2018-19 from Rs 1.22 lakh, states Jaitley.

11:53 am: Finance Minister announces an allocation of Rs. 56,619 crore for SC welfare and Rs 39,135 crore for ST welfare.

Budget 2018: 24 new govt medical colleges and hospitals to be set up by upgrading existing district headquarters hospitals.

Union Budget 2018: 6 crore toilets constructed under Swachh Bharat Mission; aim is to build 2 crore more toilets, says FM Jaitley.

11:47 am: Loans to women self-help groups increased 37% on year-on-year basis.

11:40 am: Central Government to set up two new full-fledged Schools of Planning and Architecture, says Finance Minister.

11:39 am: FM proposes launching of a flagship National Health Protection Scheme covering 10 crore poor and vulnerable families. Up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year will be provided for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation.

11:38 am: The government will set up Ekalvya Model Residential school in every block with more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal people by 2022, says Jaitley.

11:34 am: FM proposes to increase digital intensity in education with an aim to move gradually from black board to digital board.

Union Budget 2018: FM Arun Jaitley says 8 crore poor families to get gas connection.

11:30 am: Rs 2,000 cr-Agri-Market Development Fund to be set up, says Jaitley at the Budget speech

11:25 am: Minimum support price (MSP) has been set at 1.5 times the production cost for Kharif crops, says FM Arun Jaitley.

11:10 am: Indian economy to achieve high growth of 8 %; to grow at 7.2-7.5% in second half of 2018-19, says Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Budget Speech

11:00 am: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's Budget 2018 speech begins in Parliament.

Corporate tax rate is likely to be brought down to 25 per cent from the current 30 per cent.

10:22 am: Copies of Budget 2018 being checked by security inside the Parliament premises.

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Budget 2018 is the first budget after the rollout of Goods and Service Tax (GST) July last year.

10:20 am: Cabinet meeting begins inside the Parliament ahead of Budget 2018.

This is Narendra Modi government's fifth and last full Budget before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

9:54 am: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley arrives at the Parliament to present Union Budget 2018.

Experts feel some innovative ideas will be put forth in the Budget 2018 for manufacturing sector. Generation of jobs will be priority. This budget is expected to be a 'populist' one.

9:49 am: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley meets President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan before presenting the Budget 2018 in Parliament.

9:48 am: Union Budget 2018 papers arrive in Parliament.

9:33 am: Common man expects industry, MSME and agriculture sectors will be focus areas in Budget 2018. Besides, decrease in excise on fuel is expected.

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9:10 am: Union Finance minister Arun Jaitley and his team get ready for the Union Budget presentation in some time from now