Beyond Budget Headlines with AKB
7 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 3 years ago -Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget 2021 is set to be one of the most important Budgets in India’s history. Even if the economic growth was flagging for a couple of quarters before the coronavirus struck, the pandemic and the nationwide lockdowns to contain its spread dealt a body blow to economic activities. Coming as it against this backdrop, the Budget will be keenly watched by all for more policy moves to prop up the economy. In podcast series in the run-up to the Budget, Business Standard Editorial Director A K Bhattacharya gives his expert views on what to expect from this Budget.
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Episodes
Beyond Budget Headlines: What the key elements of FM's speech mean to us
January 29, 2021 04:25 - 20 minutes - 28.4 MBDid you know that the finance minister's Budget speech has no legal sanctity in India? Yes, there is no provision for the Budget speech under the Constitution of India or any law. It is in addition to what is provided under various laws. Technically, once the FM has presented the three key documents, the Budget exercise is over, says our in-house policy expert A K Bhattacharya, as he explains the important areas that we should focus on while listening to the finance minister's speech. Giv...
Beyond Budget Headlines: Oil sector may come to the govt's rescue this year
January 25, 2021 03:56 - 13 minutes - 18.4 MBEvery Budget has something to offer for the oil sector. Oil prices have been rising because of global demand amid a stringent environment of regulations. So, what is Budget 2021 going to do for the oil sector? Boosting revenue collection will be a challenge if oil prices rise and the government has to roll back excise duty hikes, says our in-house policy expert A K Bhattacharya. He also points out that the disinvestment revenue that can be mobilised from the oil sector will be a key factor f...
Beyond Budget Headlines: Health & education deserve more outlay, attention
January 11, 2021 06:20 - 5 minutes - 5.89 MBHealthcare and education are some of the important sectors that are usually not given the attention they deserve in India’s Union Budgets. It has been so for many years. But the situation this time is different. At a time when the country – indeed, the entire world – is working to tide over a health crisis presented by the coronavirus pandemic, will Budget 2021 make a departure from the trend and place its expenditure focus on these sectors? In the fifth episode of ‘Beyond Budget Headline...
Beyond Budget Headlines with AKB: Economic recovery and the tax challenge
January 04, 2021 07:54 - 12 minutes - 17.7 MBThe year 2020 was no ordinary year and so the Budget 2021 will also not be an ordinary budget. We have had enough indication from the government that the public spending momentum will continue and fiscal deficit will not be a big cause of worry for the Finance Minister. But what should Budget do to boost investment and spur economic recovery? Don't underestimate the importance of increasing investment, says Business Standard's in-house policy expert A K Bhattacharya, as the demand recovery w...
Beyond Budget Headlines with AKB: Why bad banks are a bad, bad idea
December 28, 2020 04:50 - 13 minutes - 18.9 MBFinance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has been saying that Budget 2021 will not be like any other before. What might that mean? Coming against the backdrop of a pandemic that has, arguably, wrecked the economy like never before, it could mean she has more big-ticket relief measures up her sleeve. But it could also mean, says Business Standard's in-house policy expert A K Bhattacharya, that she is preparing the nation for something unpleasant -- something like a one-time Covid tax to raise addit...
Beyond Headlines: Should there be a range for fiscal deficit target?
December 21, 2020 06:11 - 13 minutes - 19 MBMany think that the Narendra Modi government has spent a lot this year, especially to mitigate issues faced by people in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. But has it? It’s true that the government has announced stimulus packages to the tune of Rs 30 trillion. But if one were to make a like-to-like comparison, the govt expenditure this year (till October-end) was at roughly the same level as that seen in the same period last year. Given that expenditure was budgeted to be 13 per cent more...
Beyond headlines: Will Budget 2021 be pandemic Budget or lockdown Budget?
December 14, 2020 06:20 - 7 minutes - 9.01 MBFinance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget 2021 is set to be one of the most important Budgets in India’s history. Even if the economic growth was flagging for a couple of quarters before the coronavirus struck, the pandemic and the nationwide lockdowns to contain its spread dealt a body blow to economic activities. Coming as it against this backdrop, the Budget will be keenly watched by all for more policy moves to prop up the economy. In the first of a series of videos in the run-up ...