The Union Finance Minister ShriPranab Mukherjee, while presenting the Union Budget for 2012-13, has proposed to extend concessional basic customs duty of 5% with full exemption from excise duty/ CVD to six specified life-saving drugs/ vaccines in this year's budget.
He proposed to reduce basic customs duty on soya protein concentrate and isolated soya protein to 10% from the present 30% or 15% respectively. Basic customs duty and excise duty reduced on iodine from 6% to 2.5%. On probiotics, the basic customs duty is now 5% reduced from 10%.