The finance minister could well be on her way to setting a record of achieving the biggest single-year reduction in the government's fiscal deficit, explains A K Bhattacharya.
There was no law that prevented the government from presenting a sixth full Budget, or something similar to it.
Slamming the Union budget as 'insipid' and lacking in stimulus for growth, the Congress on Saturday said it does not address the main issue of unemployment and describes the mindset of the government.
Chidambaram dubbed the UPA's Common Minimum Programme as a bold declaration on reforms and said it gave him room to take more initiatives in the reform process.
Going by the number of changes Mr Jaitley's next Budget is likely to see, he will go down in the history of Budget-making as the finance minister who ushered in the largest number of changes in a single Budget, says A K Bhattacharya.
Charging the finance minister with leaving an off-budget fiscal overhang of Rs 300,000 crore (Rs 3,000 billion), which could wreck the country's economy, Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday demanded resignation of P Chidambaram to escape "dismissal". Singh warned that the country was heading for the worst kind of food inflation and the off-budget subsidy on fertiliser and petroleum would leave a serious dent on the government finances.
If P Chidambaram's Budget speech was an hour-long attempt at presenting his government's and his own record in a good light - as he is perfectly entitled to do - such a "marketing" effort invites the recounting of an alternative retelling of the record.
'Chidambaram, lots of people argue not without justification, is all about bluff and bluster without any concrete achievement on the ground. His record in the finance ministry fully endorses that view,' argues Virendra Kapoor.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has done the right mix of moderation on the price front, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram presented the Interim Budget for 2014-15 on Monday.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram presented the Interim Budget for 2014-15 on Monday.
Forget about interim Budgets, one cannot easily recall even a full Budget of any government in recent times having rolled out benefits of this order to such a large number of people, says A K Bhattacharya.
The Reserve Bank of India, in its Second Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy Statement for 2014-15, kept the key interest rate unchanged at 8 per cent.
Her speech was laced with Hindi, Urdu, Sanskrit and even Tamil verses.
The outcome budget, a document to gauge government's expenditure on various schemes announced in the budget, will be presented in parliament by August 25, Finance Minister P Chidambaram has said.
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India has in recent months stepped up enforcement of tax collections as it looks to raise revenue to help plug its widening fiscal deficit.
Analysts and the central bank remain concerned about widening oil subsidies.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram presented the Interim Budget for 2014-15 on Monday. Income Tax rates were kept unchanged.
While the finance minister made the tax payers slightly happy by raising the individual tax exemption limit to Rs 300,000, he made many others unhappy.
Budget speeches have been replete with incomprehensible and even hilarious statements, says Rathin Roy.
What would you like the finance minister to do in this Budget? Tell him.
The economic logic - and political reasons - behind the giant shift of spending power to the states
Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Monday presented in Parliament the first ever Outcome Budget, which seeks to measure the physical targets achieved on the financial outlays of various ministries.
German car makers Audi and Mercedes-Benz on Monday cut prices by up to Rs 3.82 lakh, while Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra announced their intent to follow suit after Finance Minister P Chidambaram reduced excise on automobiles in the Interim Budget for 2014-15.
Officers now know that they need to deliver conclusions. There are no 'ifs' and 'buts'. Chidambaram has laid down clear timelines for targets.
Terming the Interim Budget for 2014-15 fiscal as 'very balanced', the industry on Monday said that it was 'absolutely' up to the expectations.
Presenting the Union Budget for 2013-14 in Parliament, Finance Minister P Chidambaram also quoted his favourite poet Tiruvalluvar towards the end of his Budget speech after referring to Stiglitz in the beginning.
After discussions, there may be changes the Bill.
Wants sops to encourage investment and promote entrepreneurship.
The Union finance ministry has kicked off the exercise for preparation of the Union Budget for the fiscal year 2012-13 and has asked all ministries to rush proposals by October 31 for inclusion in the second supplementary budget for 2011-12 to be presented in the winter session of Parliament.
The meeting with the top officials of public sector banks is scheduled for March 5, a senior finance ministry official told PTI.
The biggest challenge before Chidambaram, who will be presenting his eighth budget, would be to keep every constituent happy, arrest decelerating economic growth and bring down fiscal deficit to committed level of 4.8 per cent of the gross domestic product.
The FM wants credit for acting on environment, but does the wrong things.
Chidambaram said he still aimed at nine per cent growth for the economy in 2008-09
