Sitharaman, who presented the first budget of the new government, had said crude prices have softened from their highs, paving way for her to review excise duty and cess on petrol and diesel.
It is the maiden budget for Sitharaman. She is the second woman finance minister after Indira Gandhi to do so in the history of independent India. Indira Gandhi held the Finance portfolio while being the Prime Minister.
The Union Minister also said that faceless and anonymous assessment system for income tax will be rolled out in phases this year. While PAN is used to ensure that every citizen pays their taxes, an Aadhaar Card is a unique identification (UID) number issued by the government.
9.6 crore toilets have been constructed since October 2, 2014. More than 5.6 lakh villages have become open defecation free. We have to build on this success. I propose to expand the Swachh Bharat mission to undertake sustainable solid waste management in every village
Budget 2019-20 will be the fifth full-fledged budget of this NDA government and is scheduled to be unveiled in Parliament on 1st February 2019.
