Morning coffee, sports and video games; What gets costlier, what gets cheaper?

NEW DELHI: The third budget of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's third government aims to make a developed India a reality by 2047. With a focus on tax laws, the budget included fewer announcements aimed at benefiting the general public. The intention is to simplify the tax system in order to attract investors and entrepreneurs.

Kerala has been waiting for the establishment of an AIIMS for a long time, but it was not granted one even as the assembly elections approached. This time, no new AIIMS have been announced; however, for the first time, three All India Ayurveda Institutes have been introduced, and there is hope that Kerala will receive one of them.

Seven high-speed rail corridors have been announced, but Kerala is not included in this plan. The projects concerning Kerala involve the coconut development project and its inclusion in the rare mineral corridor. It is hoped that many of the public announcements will be beneficial to Kerala. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made history by presenting the ninth consecutive Union Budget, which includes several announcements aimed at farmers, women, and youth.

Essential medicines will be more affordable

The exemption from basic customs duty on 17 essential medicines used for treating diseases, including cancer, will lower the cost of these medications. Additionally, customs duties on imports of materials related to nuclear power projects will be entirely waived until 2035.

**Items to Decrease in Price:**

1. Cancer drugs

2. Leather products

3. Microwave ovens

4. Foreign tour programs, studies, and treatments

5. Footwear

6. Energy transition equipment

7. Indian-made TVs and smartphones

8. Video game construction parts

9. Civilian training aircraft construction parts

10. Solar glass inputs

11. Lithium batteries

12. Selected textile products

13. Imported graphite, coal, sand, silicon, minerals, and metal oxides

14. Dried cashew nuts and makhana

15. Wet blue leather

16. Sports equipment

17. Marine products

18. Solar panels

19. Electric vehicle (EV) batteries

**Items to Increase in Price:**

With the removal of tax exemptions on various imported products, their prices will rise.

1. Cigarettes and pan masala

2. Imported liquor

3. Coffee vending machines

4. Imported ammonium phosphate and ammonium nitro phosphate

5. Foreign television sets, digital cameras, and film production equipment

6. Imported photographic, filming, and sound recording equipment

7. Imported animals and birds

8. Naphtha used in fertilizer production

9. Foreign umbrellas and ATM machines

10. Luxury watches