oppn parties Budget 2021: Kickstarting The Economy

News Snippets

  • Karnataka HC has ruled that a harassment complaint lodged by a wife after receiving a divorce notice from the husband loses its weight in the eye of the law and quashed the FIR filed by a women against her husband and in-laws
  • 35 people killed in renewed violence in Manipur, 30 of them militants
  • Manipur boils on the eve of Home minister Amit Shah's visit as militants strike, vandalize MLAs home and loot armouries
  • Kerala chief minister P Vijayan says Centre's decision to cut the borrowing limit of the state is 'sadistic' and shows its negative mentality towards the state's development
  • Rahul Gandhi recieves passport, set to travel to the US
  • Centre said that the march-to-Parliament by wrestlers was a 'deliberate provocation'
  • Prime Minister Modi inaugurates the new Parliament building, calls it 'cradle of empowerment'
  • Mamata Banerjee will most likely attend the opposition meet called by Nitish Kumar in Patna
  • With container prices, which were on fire, crashing by 40% YoY, importers and exporters in India heaved a sigh of relief as the burden of high freight costs will reduce
  • In an aim to push lenders to manage risks better after the US financial crisis, the RBI has reviewed bond value norms
  • 14 countries under the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), including India, entered into an agreement to boost supply chains and counter China
  • Malaysia Cup badminton- H S Prannoy wins the title beating Weng Hong Yang of China 21-19,13-21, 21-18
  • Yashasvi Jaiswal replaces Ruturaj gaikwad as stand-by opener for the WTC final
  • IPL final washed out due to rain, rescheduled for today, the reserve day
  • In a shameful incident, Delhi Police manhandled international wrestlers when they sought to march peacefully to the new Parliament building to highlight their greivances, detained some top wrestlers
Fifth IPL title for Chennai as Ravindra Jadeja hits 10 off last two balls to spoil the party for Gujarat Titans
oppn parties
Budget 2021: Kickstarting The Economy

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2021-02-02 02:19:11

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.

For someone who has consistently criticized the government for not taking the initiative to invest to revive the economy, this correspondent finds that Budget 2021, with its "spend-spend" mantra, is an ideal Budget for these troubled times, provided the government manages to raise the resources and actually spends as proposed. 

Basically, one has to recognize that giving freebies in this age is not kosher. The need to put money in the hands of the people can be done in other ways too. Investment by the government to kick start the economy is one of the best ways. When the core sector starts getting orders production picks up and all sectors benefit. Jobs are generated and money starts flowing in the hands of people.

This Budget is going to do precisely that. By not imposing additional taxes (apart from cess on some sectors), the finance minister has ensured that money is not squeezed out of the people. By not imposing a "Covid tax" on the rich, the finance minister has ensured that wealth creation is not penalized. By holding the hands of startups for one more year, the finance minister has ensured that enterprise, innovation and entrepreneurial drive will be supported. By allocating Rs 20000 for bad loans of PSB and announcing the formation of a "bad" bank, the finance minister has signaled that the problem of bad loans will be addressed this year.

By investing in infrastructure, the finance minister has ensured that growth prospects are enhanced. By investing in healthcare, she has ensured that India takes care of its citizens better and becomes more capable of combating any future pandemics. By investing in defence, she has ensured that the country's security concerns are addressed, especially as China seems bent on acting aggressively. Finally, by investing heavily in agriculture, she has shown that this government is not unmindful of the problems faced by farmers. All these investments will have a direct and positive bearing in reviving the economy and creating jobs.

But the government will have to act fast on the divestment promises. Last year, not even a fraction of the divestment target was met. The ambitious figure set for the next year can be met only if the government does things in a better way. If divestment targets are not met, funds will become scarce and promises made in the Budget might not be kept in full. If the government is able to generate the funds and invest in full as proposed, the economy will revive faster than most people think.