Budget 2018: India on course to grow at 8%, says Jaitley

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said Thursday that India is on course to achieve its highest growth rate.

Jaitley, who is presenting the last full budget of the NDA government before elections in 2019, said the economy will grow at 7.2-7.5% in second half of 2018-19.

"Indian economy is on course to achieve high growth of 8 %. Economy to grow at 7.2-7.5% in second half of 2018-19," Jaitley said.

He further said that Indian economy has performed very well since the NDA government took over in May 2014.

Jaitley added that India now the seventh-largest economy in the world.

 Budget 2018 is likely to give impetus to the farm sector by providing bigger allocations for food subsidy to widen MSP-based intervention.

Schemes to pay the difference between MSP and market price to farmers, nationwide loan waiver for farmers and bigger allocations for the farm sector to improve infrastructure are other decisions expected in the Budget.

Also read: 'Hawai chappal to Hawai safar': Govt expands scope UDAN scheme in Budget 2018

Also read: Budget 2018: Free LPG connection scheme to cover 8 crore poor women, says Jaitley