Budget helps conmen, not the common man
A change that the Budget proposes to make could end up helping Indians who might have laundered their ill-gotten money, says M R Venkatesh.

Why this is a 'good-average' Budget
The expenditure cuts are one-off, too much has been given away in tax cuts and there are few green shoots of reform.

No end to this circus called Budget
For how many more years will the annual Budget circus continue in its current form? This is a question often asked at post-Budget seminars held across the country every year around this time.

Why govt must NOT focus on slum-free India
In his recent Budget speech, the finance minister reiterated the government's plans to make India "slum-free" within five years.

Budget: A new paradigm for India
Budget 2010 went far beyond most recent Budgets in that it defined an entirely new paradigm for the Indian economy.

Revenue Secretary on the govt's challenges
By partially rolling back the stimulus that was provided through fiscal incentives in the excise duties and by retaining the service tax at 10 per cent, we are primarily signalling that we are going back to a unified goods and services tax, says Sunil Mitra.

FM on how the govt plans to tackle inflation
Taking into account all the increases, inflation will be around 0.4 per cent in the wholesale price index, says Pranab Mukherjee.

Tension between FinMin and RBI on the cards
The FM's proposal on new banks and a Financial Stability and Development Council could spark tension with RBI.

Budgeting for the future
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's decision to co-contribute, for 3 years, Rs 1,000 per annum to each individual who opens an account under the New Pension Scheme is more than welcome.

Reviving agriculture: What the FM missed
The agricultural growth package mooted in the Union Budget for 2010-11 seems well conceived but not adequately supported by funding for its key elements. This, surprisingly, is despite the 21.6 per cent increase in the overall Central plan outlay for agriculture and allied sectors, the highest hike in recent years.

Finance ministry: Return of the Gladstonians
The global financial crisis has empowered fiscal conservatives in India.