Defence Expenditure and e-Governance - Indian Budget 2006 – 2007 (102 - 104)

Defence Expenditure

102. Government has fulfilled the long-standing need of retired Armed Forces Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBOR) for better pensionary benefits. About 12 lakh PBOR have benefited to the tune of Rs.460 crore with effect from January 1, 2006, and I am sure the House will welcome this decision.

103. In view of the enhanced expenditure on modernisation of defence forces, I propose to increase the allocation for defence from Rs. 83,000 crore to Rs. 89,000 crore in 2006-07, and this will include Rs. 37,458 crore for capital expenditure.

e-Governance

104. The National e-Governance Plan will be approved shortly, and 25 projects, in mission mode, will be launched in 2006-07. Among them is Project MCA-21 to enable companies to file returns electronically and a project for setting up common service centres and assigning unique ID to BPL families. It is Government’s intention to bring a number of services online, in a web-based mode, including applications under the Right to Information Act, applications for house sites, ration cards, transfers of teachers, inclusion in the electoral roll, filing of police complaint, and issue of birth/death certificates and copies of land record.