Budget Reading

I have never commented on the India's Railway Budget. But I wanted to say something on this year's Budget. This year's Railway Budget has missed a great opportunity to open the railway sector for private sector investments in a more focused manner. Just one example, nothing has changed at Nizgamuddin station in Delhi in the last ten years in terms of modernization or cleaning the dirty things in and around the Station. Secondly, I have been hearing increasingly that you will always find uncleaned platforms in northern region railway stations compared to southern and western region railway stations. I really wonder is there something culturally wrong or right?

Come to the general Union Budget.

All kinds of 'if' and 'buts' are there everywhere both in the print media and electronic media and not to miss the social media.

One must at least the following articles to understand the useful for this year budget. However, I must add, the most sensible article I have read so far is the one by economist Laveesh Bhandari. Some may think there is nothing new in his arguments but the fact is that few opening para is suffice to say at least according to me because not many people think in that way. 

The other article not very interesting but one should it. Its by economist Ashok V Desai. Just a bit:

• But the results are dire; nine years of Congress rule have seen the budget getting utterly cluttered with dozens of populist schemes for people young and old, male and female, rural and urban; people are cut up into interest groups, and each is rewarded with schemes named after members of the Nehru family. Chidambaram did not eschew this approach entirely; he had to come out with a proposal of a women-only bank. He did not disclose whether he would be inaugurating it, what he would wear on the occasion, whether men would be allowed to enter the bank, and up to what age boys would be allowed to accompany their mothers into the bank.

Other article is by Manish Sabharwal. Unlike the previous budgets, he is very happy this time after seeing the funds provided for the skilling things.  

And lastly one should carefully between the lines in this article by Shanmuganathan.