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# Budget2017 : Lack of enough measures fail to quench deep thirst of bioscience industry !
While increase in research funding , tax sops for SMEs besides focus on rural health and farming has brought cheers to few sections , the wider expectations especially from corporate world of the sector remain unfulfilled . Our report on the budget 2017 !
RAHUL KOUL ( Inputs by Sachin Arya )
The union budget 2017 presented on 1 st February by the Finance Minister , Mr Arun Jaitley , was broadly focused on the farming sector , rural population , underprivileged healthcare , infrastructure , the financial sector for stronger institutions , speedy accountability and tax administration for the honest .
The Finance Minister has done his best to put forward a best balancing act . While the focus on healthcare schemes is much appreciable , the overall funds remain meagre . The Universal Health Programme , which was an election promise of the current government is yet to see the light . The agriculture needs a big push at the level of entrepreneurship and transformation into a credible sustainable industry to become a reliable pillar of overall GDP . The allocations for research and development is a right step and will build confidence among our scientists and innovators . The tax rebates and incentives for the smaller and medium companies too is a welcome step .
The Department of Biotechnology under Ministry of Science and Technology has received 22
16 BioVoiceNews | February 2017