NDA goals and wins in budget showcase

The budget will list policy priorities for the next government

- Gireesh Chandra Prasad & Subhash Narayan

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s sixth budget speech on Thursday will capture how the government has set the stage for sustained growth over the medium term by tackling structural problems in the economy and by investing in infrastructure.

It will also list policy priorities for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) that is seeking a return to office, two people aware of the budget-making process this year said.

These priorities include higher investment in skilling and education, creating more employment opportunities for women, mainstreaming the most backward districts in the country, building on the domestic demand resilience amid sluggish global trade, and climate action, they said.

On the first day of the budget session on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the government will follow the convention of not bringing out a full budget ahead of the national election. Sitharaman’s budget on Thursday will give guidance and direction. The full budget will be presented after the polls, Modi said.

The interim budget will highlight India’s economic performance and fiscal health, and how targeted social transfers have helped in reducing income inequality and ‘multidimensional poverty’ measured on the basis of health, education and standard of living, said the first of the two persons cited above on condition of anonymity.

The promises delivered and future policy goals will be captured in the budget speech, said the second person, who also spoke on condition of not being named.