Budget 08-09 has a good balance of allocations for health and education sectors. Allocation for the Rajiv Gandhi Drinking Water Mission has seen an increase from Rs 7300 cr to Rs 6500 cr, a positive sign. Non-governmental organizations can tap into this increase in funds for making pure, clean water accessible to the masses.

As far as the industry is concerned, it has become more of a level playing field with the cut in excise duty for water purifiers from 16 percent to 8 percent. Overall, the consumer electronics and durables industry had a wishlist for 8 percent excise duty from 16 percent. Though this demand has not been met, fundamentally growth rates seem to be good.

Rajul Parikh is the Director, Sales and Marketing, Alfa UV