March 7, 2011
School of Arts & Science, Kochi
Union Budget 2011 allocated Rs. 58000 crore for social schemes. A 17% increase in social sector expenditure was proposed. Anganwadi teachers received a 100% salary hike.
Discussing this and other points, thirty students of the Commerce and Management Department of the Amrita School of Arts and Sciences, Kochi, participated in Budget 2011- Live Discussion, a program telecast on the Malayalam TV channel, India Vision.
The program telecast on February 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. had the students interact with many financial experts from across Kerala, while listening to their opinions on the Union Budget 2011-2012.
Amrita was the only college in the city of Kochi selected to represent the student community in the program. The live program included sessions prior to and following the budget announcement.
The batch of students remained exceptionally enthusiastic, and spent nearly two weeks preparing for the conference.
For second-year M.Com. student Justin Joseph, the session proved very helpful and motivating.
“It was an excellent opportunity to interact with the insightful panel experts, and it was good exposure for all of us,” he said.
The pre-budget discussion focused on expectations from the new financial plan, while the post-session included talks and interactions on main aspects of the financial plan.
Emphasis was placed on benefits for the middle class and initiatives for the social sector.
Dr Ajith Kumar, Professor of Economics at the Amrita School of Arts and Sciences, Kochi, who participated in the program’s panel discussion, talked about the tax benefits that were offered to men in the working sector, and about the decrease in surcharge for corporate tax.
“The surcharge tax was reduced from 7.5 percent to 5 percent which will definitely help those associated with the corporate sector,” he explained.
Dr. Ajith Kumar has previously participated in a number of programs related to budget presentations.
“This discussion is indeed good exposure for the students who took part in the event, as they understood more about the nation’s big event,” he said.
The professor mentioned plans to include students from all five campuses in similar discussion forums in the future, as these sessions can boost student confidence.
