New Delhi, February 29, 2008: Feedback Ventures welcomes the four new measures for infrastructure announced in the 2008 Budget, by the Finance Minister, Mr. P. Chidambaram.  These are:

1)     Rationalization of Dividend Distribution Tax: This will help many infrastructure companies that use special purpose vehicles to run specific infrastructure projects.

2)     The setting up of a coal regulator:   Most power projects are based on coal.  The availability, pricing, and linkages of coal, often cause difficulty to industry.  Having an independent and empowered coal regulator will result in faster and fairer allocations of coal.

3)     Setting up of a new Irrigation and Water Resources Finance Company.  Irrigation is critical to sustained agriculture growth.  While allocations for this sector are rising, a separate company to channel funds and oversee implementation in a businesslike way to this sector, on the lines of say the NHB or NABARD, will ensure that good irrigation projects get sufficient funds, on time.

4)     A National Fund for Generation and Distribution Reforms will help coordinate and multiply the many efforts that are taking place to remove the many problems in electricity transmission and distributions, across states, cities, and villages.

In addition, Feedback Ventures also welcomes the increased allocation and the focus on service delivery, timely completion, and quality of outcome in this year’s Budget for existing infrastructure programs.  These are the National Highway Development Project; the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission; the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund; and Bharat Nirman.

For more information, please contact:

Harsh Shrivastava                                               Neha / Deepti

Feedback Ventures                                       Image Inc.

tel: +91 9810609988                                     tel: + 91 9810574249 / 9810991819