I have liked a couple of things in the otherwise a tame but populist budget in my opinion, churned out of compulsions of oncoming elections. Provision for building up capacities of cold storage for food grains is a good positive move.What this government had missed out in all its 6 decades of rules and so many 5 year plans was plugged at last. We had seen how the surplus grains were rotting outside. I also wish that the supply chain system of food grains from farms to the last man in the streets also improves to plug the heavy leakages through out the system.
The provision of giving cash subsidy in stead of subsidy in prices is again a good move, if it works and if the money is given to the right man at the right time. The UID will be a good tool to ensure proper delivery. However, the distribution of UID needs to be faster and should not take years together. I had read about the cash subsidy given to girl children in Bihar and that the success rate was above 95 %. So why it can not be a success on a larger scale?
Increasing the exemption limit is once again like throwing peanuts. Really, we the middle class people are being treated like monkeys by all the FMs. Compare the savings in comparison to the % inflation rise and rise in petrol / diesel etc, you would also see a point in what I say. Well if not monkeys, we are Cattle Class as Tharoor had baptized us.
I do not understand why tax exemption is not given to an individual for any purchase of energy efficient system / item? I had long back written to shri Manmohan Singh, when he was a FM in Narsimharao's Government and requested him to give 100 % tax exemption ( besides the min exemption limit ), for purchase of all such items be it CFL Lamps, Solar Water Heating System, Solar Lamps etc. Neither he did it nor any of the successive FMs have thought about it.
Similarly the age bar of 60 Years for Senior Citizens is a welcome step. I think that the benefit of senior citizenships should be extended in all sectors, be it travel by any mode, tax limits etc. However, it should be uniform across the board and not 58 in some, 60 in some other cases, 65 in others and so on.
But the biggest disappointment is overlooking the security concerns on N - E & N - W borders. Look at China. How long we will continue to keep our eyes closed on that issue. Let us forget of being Bhai - Bhais. Enemy also keeps a distance if you are strong yourself. It is simple common sense, but then common sense is most uncommon, isn't it ?
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