Panaji: Indian Coastal Conference Shipping Association Vice President Atul Vithal Jadhav has demanded that the Union government should come up with a “financing policy” for the coastal shipping industry in the interim budget in 2024.
“First we want to tell the government that first you have to do a financing policy… So far this government has not looked into the shipping, for any shipping… We want the ships to be attached… Section 31 D of the SARFAESI Act needs to be changed… Second, marine gas oil should be allowed to be coming under GST input credit. Third, manning costs should be reduced,” Atul Vithal Jadhav told ANI on Monday in Goa’s Panaji.
Meanwhile, sharing expectations from the Union Budget, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Petha Association President Rajesh Aggarwal from UP’s Agra said, “We have a lot of expectations from the budget. We have had a demand for many years now that Petha should be made tax-free… We also hope that the tax slab is increased.”
Manguirish Pai Raiker, Chairman of the National Council for MSME of Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), appealed to the central government to emphasize on Production Link Incentives (PIL) and spiritual tourism in the interim budget.
Speaking to ANI, Raiker said, “The government is taking a lot of initiatives to improve the business… We will be the third-largest economy very soon… PLI (Production Link Incentives) will be enhanced, more products will be brought in and there will be more scope for investments in India.”
“Secondly, the government also plans for spiritual tourism which has attracted many people as we have seen in Varanasi and Ayodhya. Other spots will also be taken into consideration… I’m sure the new budget will bring in something for the promotion of these initiatives… There will be other initiatives taken on the health and education front. This is what we expect from the government,” he added.
The Budget session of Parliament, the last session before the general elections expected in April-May, will begin on January 31 and is likely to continue till February 9. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the interim budget on February 1.
The session will begin with President Droupadi Murmu’s address to the joint sitting of the two Houses of Parliament The interim budget typically takes care of the fiscal needs of the intervening period till a government is formed after the Lok Sabha polls. (ANI)
