Budget 2017: Spend on education sector seen falling short

 Experts feel the Budget spend on education is woefully inadequate for a country which is aspiring to create a pool of skilled workforce to fuel economic growth.  Budget 2017-18 was billed as ‘no-nonsense’ by many, but its impact on the education sector is not yet clear. The government has allocated roughly Rs 80,000 crore for the sector, about 10 percent higher than last year. While the number may seem huge, one has to view it in proportion to the total expenditure. Compared to peers, India spends the least on education. Experts feel this is woefully inadequate for a country which is aspiring to create a pool of skilled workforce to fuel economic growth.The mid-day meals scheme, which continues to face problems and much criticism since inception, will get only Rs 300 crore more. Rohin Kapoor, Director, Deloitte Haskins & Sells LLP says, “There has been shortage of funds, lack of quality control in schools and instances of vendors providing poor quality, sub-standard meals to kids. So, the entire implementation of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has not come to fruition as per the desired objectives of the government and the SSA allocation that has been increased by Rs 1,000 crore is clearly not enough to tackle these challenges

New budget to make travel easier and cheaper: Travel portals

 The industry, which was endorsed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley as a sector of economic importance, has welcomed the proposed decisions, saying that the steps will make travel more "accessible and reduce friction between the user and service provider". New budget to make travel easier and cheaper: Travel portals The push for digital payment platforms and removal of service tax on IRCTC bookings online in the latest Union Budget have enthused the travel industry, who believe the initiatives will make travel easier and cheaper across the country. The industry, which was endorsed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley as a sector of economic importance, has welcomed the proposed decisions, saying that the steps will make travel more "accessible and reduce friction between the user and service provider". According to online travel portal Skycanner, that recently took on board a direct booking application, the travel industry has already seen a hike in the number of transactions made via smart phones over the past one year, and the trend is only going to catch up with the recommendations under the budget.

NPPA simplifies rules to ensure no stents shortage to patients

 NPPA said relabelling of stents is not mandatory, and called upon manufacturers and importers to issue revised price lists as quickly as possible in line with its price cap order - a move seen as an attempt to simplify the process ensure continuation of cardiac services to patients. Viswanath Pilla Moneycontrol Bureau Indian drug price regulator National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) in a notification on Friday said relabelling of stents is not mandatory, and called upon manufacturers and importers to issue revised price lists as quickly as possible in line with cap order. The move is being percieved as an attempt to simplify the procedure to ensure continuation of cardiac services to patients. NPPA's announcement comes amidst media reports of manufacturers and importers are withdrawing stents from the market holding up cardiac service delivery to patients.

Trump accepts US intelligence

Reince Priebus, the former Republican National Committee chairman, said Trump understands that Moscow was behind the intrusions into the Democratic Party organizations. "He accepts the fact that this particular case was entities in Russia so that’s not the issue," Priebus said on Priebus' comments marked a major shift. Trump has repeatedly dismissed claims that the Russians were trying to help him, arguing that those charges are the product of his political opponents trying to undermine his victory