Khammam: NDA's Budget hurrah before 2019 polls

Khammam: The Central Budget of 2019 has made all the salaried class working in private and government organisations and the farming community happy to a great extent.

The middle class have heaved a huge sigh of relief on being tax-free up to Rs 5 lakh income per year. Individuals with gross income up to Rs 6.5 lakh will not need to pay any tax if they make investments in Provident Fund and prescribed equities.

Mr N. Srikanth, a medical representative said, “It is the dream of the middle class, this tax relaxation of Rs 5 lakh. We have been insisting that the Centre approve this for the last 10 years. NDA government has fulfilled it.”

The employees of SCCL, KTPS, BPL, Bharat Heavy Water Plant, Bhadradri Thermal Power Station and teachers discussed the tax relief immediately after the announcement of the government in the Parliament. About one lakh employees working in private and government offices in two districts of Khammam and Bhadradri districts will be benefited with it.

The small and marginal farmers are happy over the Rs 6,000 incentive per year. The amount will be directly deposited into the accounts of the farmers in three instalments.

Mr N. Sankara Rao, a farmer from Konigerla said, “It is a good decision taken by the Modi government. The amount will help all the small and marginal farmers in the country.” It is expected that about 4.25 lakh farmers in the two districts will be benefited with the scheme. The farmers who are facing the heat with the increasing farm costs in the form of price hike of fertilisers, pesticides, labour charges and others, will be relieved from the burden.

But, there is some confusion in the farmers’ minds whether the amount will be linked to the state government’s Rythu Bandu scheme. The farmers want clarity from the government on it.