Number Theory: Three things to watch out for in today's Budget
.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present her eighth budget today. This is the second full budget of the third Narendra Modi government and comes against the backdrop of the Indian economy losing growth momentum. According to the first advance estimates released on January 7, GDP growth in 2024-25 is expected to come down to 6.4% in 2024-25, from 8.2% in 2023-24. The 2023-24 Economic Survey, which was released on Friday, has estimated a GDP growth of 6.3%-6.8% in 2025-26. What can the Budget do to give a boost to the economy? To be sure, it will also have to do justice to the imperative of fiscal consolidation and not doing anything too erratic given the volatile external environment. Here are four numbers which will be worth watching out for in the 2025-26 Budget.
