Dinesh Mour, director, Manjushree Innovations, Guwahati, comments about the Union Budget 2020: Most of us have grown up hearing the buzz around the year 2020. Vision had it that come 2020 and India will be a force to be reckoned with. But the year 2020 have sprung up earlier than expected and still there is very little we can talk about. The budget exercise of 2020 therefore, was very important and probably the last chance for us to lay the real road map for the ensuring decade ending in 2030. If not more, the coming years should at least provide ‘ease of living’ to all citizens of the country.

Sitharaman’s budget seems to pursue the long term goal of ensuring this, through three broad themes, viz., Aspirational India, Economic Development and Caring India. The budget had announcements which could propel India to the next level of health, prosperity and economic well-being. Farmers welfare, women empowerment, infrastructure building and full digitalisation found place of importance in this year’s budget exercise. The finance minister did not mince words when she explained that the country was headed for a lower tax with no exemptions regime. That faceless scrutiny and dispute resolution was the focus area, was evident from the ‘Vivaad Se Vishwas’ scheme announced.

The acknowledgment that the economy is in doldrums was definitely there and reasonable efforts to mitigate the same were also there. But to take India to the target of US$ 5 trillion economy, the efforts seems to be, so little so far. Some more was expected and some more was to be done especially in areas of yielding employment and making easy credit available to industry. Yet overall, it can be exclaimed… So far, so good!