Union Budget 2018-19

[View this email in your browser]( Union Budget 2018-19 The Wire examines the social, political and economic issues around the last full budget of the Modi government. You can read our complete coverage of Budget 2018-19 [here](. [A Budget that Seeks to Boost Votes, Not Growth]( Arun Kumar [Budget 2018 may be a good election weapon but given the difficulties faced by the economy and the incapacity of the government to deliver quickly, it can produce a political dividend for the BJP only if elections are held soon.]( [Why the Poor Will Not Be the True Beneficiaries of the ‘World’s Largest Health Programme’]( Dipa Sinha [While the government claims it “will bring healthcare system closer to the homes of people,” it hopes to do this through the private sector, not by strengthening the public health system.]( [Expert Gyan: Is Budget 2018 Really Putting Farmers First?]( The Wire Staff [Ambiguities and more talk than outlays mean that little is likely to change.]( [Finance Bill Amends FCRA Again to Condone Illegal Donations to BJP, Congress from Foreign Companies]( Anuj Srivas [The parties will now get a free pass for violations of the law going back 40 years.]( [Budget 2018: In An Election Year, it Doesn’t Pay to Be Seen as Too Business Friendly]( Sidharth Bhatia [Finance minister Arun Jaitley’s entire emphasis has been on the poor, with a few tweaks to the salaried, income-tax paying classes almost as an afterthought.]( [A Budget That Promises a Great Future for Education But Does Little for Schools and Colleges Today]( Kiran Bhatty [That education is mentioned as a priority area is an improvement, as far as signals go. However, the averments are not matched by a commensurate allocation of resources.]( [Budget 2018: The Numbers Need to Be Evaluated With Care]( Rajul Awasthi [The revised fiscal deficit target of 3.3% does not stand the test of credibility as it is based on a rather optimistic assumption that GDP will grow by 11.5%.]( [For MGNREGA, Little Attention in Budget Speech, Same Effective Spend as Last Year]( Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty [While the Rs 55,000 crore earmarked for this year is technically the highest since the scheme’s inception, it’s the same when taking into account the supplementary allocations infused last year and the scheme’s pending liabilities.]( [The Budget Fails to Grasp India’s Problem is Weak Aggregate Demand]( Hemindra Hazari [There is a paucity of demand of India – which requires an expansionary fiscal policy to revive employment, growth and investment.]( Copyright © 2018 The Wire, All rights reserved. You're getting this email because you recently subscribed to receive email digests from The Wire via our website. Our mailing address is: The Wire 13, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Marg Gole MarketNew Delhi 110001 India [Add us to your address book](//thewire.us11.list-manage.com/vcard?u=6b988b13445248b1268a308f2&id=4808224841) Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](