Budget voices: 'Curb price rise! Please!'

It's budget time again and, as always, the best comments are expected from somebody who's referred to as the common man: his expectations, his dreams, his concerns make up for wonderful gyan, if only the people who matter listen.

Here is one such voice of the aam aadmi on what he thinks should Pranab-babu do to lessen people's woes.

Naresh, who works at a bookstall and Raichand Singh, who owns a small hotel, at Carter Road in Bandra (suburban Mumbai), feel that post-budget the prices of essentials like cooking gas, petrol and hence vegetables is likely to move up.

According to Singh a person who earns Rs 3,000 per month would end up spending Rs 1,000 every month on cooking gas cylinders "as one family consumes at least two cylinders every month."

Naresh believes that the budget proposals have a telling impact on the lower- and middle-class Indians.

Though they are both eking out a living amidst growing food and non-food prices, they would only request the finance minister to help stabilise the prices of essentials for at least a period of six months.