This is not a commentary on the union budget and definitely not a critique either. This is what I see from my lenses. I know I am not an important person whose case needs to be discussed in the light of new budget. But as a citizen and a poor citizen of India how does the budget affect me?

I don’t come under the BPL category so I am not supposed to take the benefits of BPL schemes. Neither do I earn above 1,00,000 rupees. So the change is income slab is not going to help me anybody. Learned FM has said he will devise strategies to fight food price inflation, but he has increased the petrol and diesel price with immediate effect. Can he guarantee that rise in fuel price is not going to affect the food prices as a cost push inflation scenario!! If food price increases, there is no shock absorber against it (for me). Medical and toiletries price are going to be decreased but I use none. New fertilizer policy in the pipeline but I am not a farmer.  

Additional new banks are to be opened. But I am not eligible for credit from banks. They say 2000 more youth to be included in paramilitary force but I have crossed my age. I am in early thirties and doing one off jobs in private companies. They say Rs 19000cr to be spent on unique identification number allocation. What benefit shall I get if I get that card? Will such a costly card look on my shirt which has umpteen numbers of holes but no money to mend them.

And above all, they have increased the cost of tobacco items. I am addicted to gutka and cigarette because I need to fill my mouth with something so that I can skip my lunch to save dimes for my son’s school bill. And now the cigarette price has increased. So I will eat my savings even if I skip my lunch to save money.

And there are many more…this budget, they say, is for common man, poor man’s budget, and farmer friendly budget. I guess I fall in no category. More precisely I am not a common man at all. But what about uncommon man like me? Where is the respite?

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written by Santosh, February 26, 2010

Neither the Govt nor its budget is an instrument to rehabilitate the BPL category with financial aid. The Govt facilitates industrial growth and aids sectors with stunted growth, it provides opportunities for individuals to perform and succeed. The budget provides for such activity both directly and indirectly. It is for the individual to sense opportunities and move ahead. One has to help oneself first and then expect help from any other quarter.

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written by Pavalamani Pragasam, February 27, 2010

A very bleak prospect for the uncommon man, perhaps! Let me just put in a word of advice- smoking is injurious to health; on empty stomach...I shudder to think! Please find more ingenious ways to juggle expenses!

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written by umbrella, February 28, 2010

Interesting read! Made me smile a lot.. and thought provoking in a way.

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