Budget Jitters

The annual central budget is round the corner and Pranab Babu must be getting the jitters as how to have a blanced budget. As the next Lok Sabha elections are also not around, he cannot go in for a populist budget. The inflation rate especially of food articles is already too high and now the crude oil prices are also on a rise which won't make his life any easier. Though he has some of the best economists that the world has ever produced as his advisors but the recent onion debacle has shown that they are not getting their predictions correct. The MREGS has raised the wages which is making the supply of labour short and also increasing the cost of production in other areas. We can always argue on whether the hike in MREGS rates is valid or not but the bourgeois producer s blaming for the increase in the prices of manufactured goods. The tax system requires a revamp and a bold initiative so that instead of raising the rates, let the base increase or in simple terms let the number of people paying the tax increase. If we were to make a wish list for Pranabda it would be too big but there is a personal request that please tax agricultural income. It is one thing that is long being needed and anticipated. We could also do with a simple tax filling system (another Saral not required) and more transparency. I would revist this peice after 28th February when Dada has presented his budget and lets see what the present day Kautiliya can come up with.
Bye

Politics and Politicians

Must be surprised to read the heading but this is what i felt while watching a debate on policitcs and India on Star Ananda, the bengali news channel of Star TV. There were eminent persons on the show like Salman Khurshid, Mamta Banerjee, Swapan Dasgupta, Ramchandra Guha, Rahul Dravid, Suhel Seth, Jai Panda and others. While the erudition on democracy, politics, bad politicians, corruption, bringing about change continued with arguments and countr arguments, Mamta Banerjee raised a very pertinent question or should I say two. One she said that people who take potshots at politicians, who call themselves intellectuals and manage the game from beind should come forward and join active people's politics. She even offered seats to Swapan Dasgupta and Suhel Seth in the coming elections of Bengal from her party. Her argument is very true that such people do not have the ability to take risk and come forward and face the masses. It is very easy to make policies in closed doors, what really takes courage is to go out, meet the people for whom the policies are made and keep them satsfied. The second question that she raised was that only the bad gets highlighted. Apart from the scams there are many positive things that being done by the governments but it hardly gets ever written about.
Rahul Gandhi often in his public addresses mentions the role of youth and especially of women in politics ans how they can change the way politics is being perceived. If the youth comes in then people like swapan dasgupta, suhel seth and others will be sidelined and democracy may be practiced in the spirit in which it was adopted.
Bye