Should the budget by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman be defended or discussed at length for all its laxity and loopholes in addressing the pressing challenges of the ordinary who are still battling a pandemic and fighting for dignity and survival?
At least special programmes and policies could have been announced to ensure the welfare and well-being of those who felt the pinch of this pandemic but contrary to common perception, the Centre blatantly refused to oblige and instead aligned with the interests of the corporates and industrialists. These conglomerates continue to hold sway over the fortunes and prospects of the ruling BJP at the Centre — be it the building of online universities to the digitalisation of almost each and everything.
The Finance Ministry made its motives clear to turn the belief system of every individual. Focusing on the blueprint of resurrecting and reforming the existing bodies of polity and governance could have definitely ensured that the proceeds of development reached everywhere.
Why has there been no mention of the bullet train and the smart city by the Finance Ministry during the budget session? The detailed project report of the project that is yet to be submitted could have been halfway through had the ruling regime taken cognizance. Still, they are making us ponder over propaganda that is more rhetoric than reality.