Will the forthcoming budget be able to deliver the goods to the common man?
Though this question is relevant before every budget, however in the present scenario it deserves special attention. After a high-level political drama Dr Manmohan Singh is the Prime Minister of India. As for Sonia Gandhi, by relinquishing the post of PM, she has proved her point that she is an Indian by choice though not by birth. By doing this she has suddenly become the guardian angel not only for the Congress party but also of the nation.
At the time of annual budget, the expectations from the PM are very high as he is the father of economic reforms in India. We have a prime minister who is so humble that he refused to get his portrait done for the PM's office, did not get a new wardrobe for the swearing-in ceremony, and was even reluctant to address the nation. We understand that he wants to prove his point by his actions and not just by empty words. So far so good. But the forthcoming budget will help in clearing the air further.
The PM has made it very clear that the common minimum programme should be followed like the Bible. The leftist grip on the PM and its effect on reforms is another area of concern.
A favourite phrase of our PM is 'reforms with a human face'. PM's message to P. Chidambram seems very clear on the face of it - Do not forget the common man. I have wondered many a time about who this 'aam aadmi' is. As projected everywhere, he is certainly an agricultural farmer, who has not even witnessed the 'I' of India shining. So people like you and me are not common and so are those millions of people who are living in metros. Even a worker, who works at a construction site near my house and is earning a decent living, is not common. But the budget needs to cater to the 'common man' and to the neglected areas of farmers, education, and health. As a result, the funds will be allocated to 'the poor common man'.
The crucial question is whether the benefits will really reach the deserving people. The definition of the poor involves those who are below the poverty line (BPL). Determining who is below poverty line uses a lot of subjective parameters and thus cannot be fully trusted. Thus even after all brouhaha about the human face of reforms, time will tell how many people benefit and how much.
How the Congress-led government handles the delivery mechanism is their real test. It should not resemble an earthen pot filled with water but having many holes.
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