There were so many quotes that were running through my mind when I first started writing this piece, but then I thought the following suited it the best-

Politics is the guiding light of economics…

I do not know who said this but I think it’s very correct.
At the outset, I should also mention I have absolutely nothing against populism. In fact, swallowing two populist budgets in the space of 3 days was a pleasure.…

The dawn of a new year ushered in the two most revolutionary and inevitably debatable budgets, of all ages. First to sketch new dimensions for the Indian railways, the nation was witness to some of the most astounding offers in a long time. Shri Lalu Prasad Yadav has scripted yet another awe-inspiring and money-generating rail budget.…

Indian policymakers, in 1950, began with two main objectives for the economic planning process, firstly, increasing productivity and secondly, reducing inequalities. These were reiterated a week ago when a bespectacled Palaniappan Chidambaram in his trademark veshti read out a not-so-trademark-Chidambaram budget for the next fiscal. Though termed an election stunt, it is a sound mix of politics and economics.…

The Budget 2008-09 had been rightly termed as something more anticipated than the Filmfare or the Oscars! A lot has been written about how the Budget will impact the households, investors, taxpayers and even the elections! But does the Finance Minister’s bag of goodies, have any gifts for us- the youth?…

The Budget is back and yet again, it is one of the most anticipated events of the year. It is [...]

The “Budget” would mean “taxes” to an ordinary individual, “tax treatment and sops” to the Corporate. It would mean “many” to the commodity market participants and the ecosystem, as most budgetary announcements, in one way or the other, affect the commodities ecosystem in terms of trading or pricing of commodities. Let us not forget here that each and every 1 billion-plus citizen of this country is a player in the commodities ecosystem, given the vast array of commodities traded on the exchange platforms. And this is the most unique property of commodities that makes it special!This is one of the major reasons why an entire set of players in the commodities ecosystem keenly watches the budget process for the changes which it would bring into the ecosystem. The exchanges play their…

 The Indian economy appears to have settled on a steady and high growth path in recent years. A boost in investment, strong industrial performance and modest inflation has helped not only in achieving growth, but also other associated business sentiments. The  growth of the Gross Domestic Product in excess of 8 percent has been achieved by the economy in only five years of recorded history. With up-coming elections, the Budget 2008 is expected to meet the concerns of the ‘Aam- Aadmi’. A step in the right direction would be to enhance the limits of specific tax-free allowances provided to individual salaried taxpayers. Currently, these limits are very low and have not been looked at in the light of the rising Cost of Living Index over the years. Other avenues for providing…

Being the most keenly anticipated time of the year, the Budget plays a decisive role in mapping the road of the following fiscal year of the country. Taking a rather amateur-ish stance we all have certain expectations and suggestions for the Budget. With due respect to the Budget ,to be presented by the Finance Minister, Mr  P. Chidambaram, and without much adieu let me enunciate my wish list.India, with its current GDP growth rate, should continue to focus on sustained economic growth. However, policy measures to reduce income and sectoral inequalities should be adopted to justify the growth rates. Besides, human development indices should be used as a measure of development in the state. The financial allocation for the health sector as a percentage of GDP should be increased from…

I hope you haven’t already started yawning on seeing the title of the article. I admit, the budget does not inspire much excitement among the youth mostly because of the complicated jargon used in it. But the Budget 2008-09 has got the whole nation debating about it.The main cause for this excitement is the fact that it could be the last Budget presented by the present coalition Government which will be contesting the Lok Sabha elections later this year. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) has had to face the wrath of its key allies (the Left) over the US nuclear deal. This makes it all the more important for P. Chidambaram not to deliver a Budget that might work against the interest of the UPA. Experts believe that the Finance…

It is that time of the year again. The time when the joy and the happiness of the festive season slowly fades away into restless pacing and poring over long ledgers of seemingly meaningless numbers and figures. The time when every businessman is wondering what the government will announce. It’s the time for the Annual Budget. And this year might just prove to be different. India is making rapid strides on the path to being a developed nation. At least economically speaking. And with the world’s most powerful economy (the U.S.) in a bad shape, Mr. Chidambaran will be under tremendous pressure to deliver a sound yet viable budget. Here are some of my expectations for this year’s budget:There is no doubt that India is gaining steadily as an independent economy…