Small industries

Under Nehruvian model of development a special status was given to small and village industry. Thus Congress manifesto has mentioned granting several concessions to small and village industry which otherwise cannot compete with big industry. The old commitment to small and medium enterprises was repeated. Of late, a few new issues have occupied the intellectuals in the country. They include strengthening the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), strengthening of IT network in the country and introduction of a moderate Goods and Services Tax (GST) to replace all other central and state-level indirect taxes such as Value Added Tax (VAT), excise duty, service tax, entertainment tax, luxury tax, etc., urban governance and environmental protection.