This year's Budget: What to expect and what not to | Number Theory
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present her ninth consecutive budget today
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present her ninth consecutive budget today. The Economic Survey presented on Thursday said it expects real GDP growth in 2026-27 to be around 6.8%-7.2% and the fiscal consolidation strategy is likely to continue. This leaves little interest in the immediate fiscal calculus of today’s budget. Does this make it an unimportant exercise? Far from it. The correct way to read this year’s budget is in the proper context. Here are some numbers that explain it better.
An ideal budget would see economic policy evolve so that specific initiatives, such as in manufacturing, mature into macro rather than micro success stories. Fiscal policy must up its game to deliver more via nudges and qualitative leaps rather than lamenting the limits of overall capacity.
