The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Union budget

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Tuesday, Jul 07, 2009
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Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Union budget

Pranab Mukherjee’s is a well-balanced budget with a slant on rural growth. A four per cent increase in allocation for agricultural development, a Rs. 3.25 lakh crore outlay for agricultural credit, an increase of 144 per cent over the previous period for NREGA, along with an assured Rs.100 real wage every day, a Rs. 7,000-crore outlay for the Rajiv Gandhi Vidyut Yojana and introduction on a pilot basis in select areas a new scheme called Rural Development and Poverty Alleviation programme are bound to raise the standard of living of the rural poor. Increasing the rural women literacy by 50 per cent and bringing at least 50 per cent of them under the SHGs are laudable. The best possible budget that could be presented when there is global recession.

Ramya Ravindran,

Cuddalore

The income tax exemption limit has been raised by just Rs. 10,000 while the salaried class expected limit to be doubled. The government should increase it to at least Rs. 2,50,000 so as to give some relief to the middle class.

N.R. Ramachandran,

Udhagamandalam

The fiscal deficit at 6.8 per cent is quite high, though Mr. Mukherjee says it can be managed. Essentially a growth-oriented budget. The minister says seven per cent growth is minimum though it can, with the new stimulus, go up to nine per cent. A balanced budget, indeed.

N. Hariharan,

Coimbatore

The budget has something for everybody — except the salaried middle class. For those Below the Poverty Line there is the food security act (rice at Rs. 3 a kg) plus education loan without interest; for farmers, there are farm loan waiver extended to six months, a rural housing scheme and NREGA and for the business class, the waiver of fringe benefit tax and other tax benefits. Even Sri Lankan Tamils get a Rs. 500-crore grant. Finance Minister, aren’t the 50-million strong middle class part of your vision of India?

Seshadri,

Chennai

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