Budget proposals

I am amused to see from the media reports, post-budget day, several leading personalities' and media-hyped audience groups going euphoric or disappointed over the Budget and the allocations made, as if the last nail has been driven into the coffin. The Budgets presented are only proposals that need to be passed in Parliament or the legislature as appropriate.

Citizens concerns should be on the details that led to the Budgets proposed, which would throw real light on the specific projects, development initiatives, priority works, governance improvement measures making citizens life less painful, more orderly, predictable, initiatives for bringing about efficiency, transparency in the working of governmental institutions, usage of public funds, accountability, quality of works taken up, arresting corruption, and so on.

These are the real take-aways for the citizens and not just the numbers which are thrown in, that mask the real priorities.

The numbers would be available in the detailed computer spread sheets of the finance department. Policy-makers understand the psyche of the readers and would present only the postives.

The media must unravel the mystery on the specifics of what one can expect during the budget (financial ) year.

K. V. Subramanian