oppn parties Budget 2021: Kickstarting The Economy

News Snippets

  • Calcutta HC said that an accused in a NDPS case is not entitled to default bail if a charge sheet, even without the chemical report, is filed within time
  • 21 killed in a hooch tragedy in Amritsar. Police arrested 10 persons
  • Incoming CJI Justice B R Gavai said that he will always strive for social and political justice
  • Although US Prez Donald trump once again claimed his administration brokered the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, India clearly refuted the claim and said it was workd out by the DGMO
  • Centre tells the Supreme Court that since women are not in combat roles, there has to be a separate selection board for them
  • India briefs 70 nations on Operation Sindoor
  • PM Modi asks Pakistan to vacate illegally-occupied portions of Kashmir
  • PM Modi tells Pakistan that it faces annihilation if it does not stop supporting terror
  • PM Modi visits Adampur IAF base, poses before the S-400 surface-to-air defence system to destrot Pakistan's claim that it had bombed the base and destroyed the defence system
  • 5 US companies make offers to GAIL for stake in LNG projects
  • Retail inflation dipped to 3.2% in April, the lowest since July 2019
  • Stocks tumble on Tuesday: After the all-time single-day gain on Monday, stocks lost heavily on Tuesday - Sensex went down by 1281 points to 81148 and Nifty lost 346 points to 24578
  • Indian tour to England: A new look Indian team with a new skipper will be announced when the selectors meet later this week in view of the retirement of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin
  • IPL: Most overseas players to return and teams likely to be full strength
  • Sharad Pawar calls for an all-party meet to discuss Operation Sindoor, says such matter cannot be publicly discussed in Parliament as the Congress had earlier demanded
PM Modi warns Pakistan - stop supporting terror or face annihilation /////// Also asks Pakistan to vacate illegally-occupied portion of Kashmir
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.