Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the interim budget for 2024-25 in Lok Sabha on Thursday.

This is her sixth consecutive budget, matching the record of former prime minister Moraji Desai

Here are the key highlights of the budget:

• No changes in tax rates for direct and indirect taxes, including import duties

• Fiscal deficit expected at 5.8% of GDP in FY24, down from 5.9% estimated earlier

• Govt aims to reduce fiscal deficit to 4.5% in 2025-26

• Govt to raise Rs 14.13 lakh crore from market by issuing dated securities during 2024-25

• Capital spending for 2024-25 raised by 11 per cent to Rs 11.11 lakh crore or 3.4 per cent of GDP

• Tax receipts for 2024-25 projected at Rs 26.02 lakh crore

• Average monthly GST collection doubled to Rs 1.66 lakh crore

• Govt to withdraw old disputed direct tax demands of up to Rs 25,000 till FY2009 and Rs 10,000 for 2010-11 to 2014-15

• Govt proposes to withdraw tax demand of up to Rs 25,000 up to 2009-10; move to benefit 1 crore taxpayers

• Processing time of tax returns reduced from 93 days in FY14 to 10 days; refunds made faster

• Number of tax filers swelled by 2.4 times, direct tax collection trebled since 2014

• 50-year interest-free loans of Rs 75,000 crore to be extended to states to realise dream of developed India

• Govt to launch Blue Economy 2.0 to promote aquaculture

• Rooftop solarisation to ensure 1 crore household free electricity of up to 300 units per month, household to save Rs 15,000-18,000 annually