Nirmala’s Neti-Neti Budget

As young children we once travelled to Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry in South India. Excited to have lunch, we sat down to what was a meal to remember. It was tasteless and bland and ne of us liked it. As we ate, I looked around to catch someone’s eye in hope of agreement. It’s that time in a present day meeting when everyone’s looking at ir phones! Later it was explained to us that philosophy behind food was to enjoy what was on plate as it was impossible to please everyone. teaching was important and matched what I was raised with – eat what’s on your plate. 
 
Budget 2019 reminded me a little of that event and a little more. Before that thought runs away, I want to submit that budget is t one India expected, certainly t from a government that returned with such a thumping majority a few weeks ago. Budgets are acts of faith but more importantly a confirmation of expectations with numbers and commitments. Growth, jobs prosperity and progress was at heart of young India that turned out in large numbers to give Prime Minister Narendra Modi a second term. In run up to 2014, he had asked Indians for ten years to turn country around – he w has five more.  India is still growing faster than many ecomies but a slowdown w pegged at 6.8 per cent is t good news. We want to kw how – w. 

I take liberty to call this neti–neti budget (nah iti – a sandhi from Sanskrit). In study of one of India’s most ancient teachings, Advaita Vedanta, question eventually rolls around to asking what or who is God. teacher begins by saying God is neir this r that in an effort to peel off external layers of igrance in a didactic manner wherein questioning by student is answering of kwledge revealed by enlightened teacher whose control of kwledge is as complete as it is humbling. Negation leads to affirmation in a pattern of trust and exchange. dialogue is important – in modern political or military langu it would probably be called confidence-building measure.  

one was expecting milk and honey to flow out of Budget 2019, but as some excellent analysts have pointed out, this is budget of small things in a nation of over 1.3 billion people rearing to go. I am especially concerned about $5 trillion mantra which many are repeating as it if will materialise without root and branch changes that should have begun five years ago. Where are ecomic triggers and motors that will set this machine rolling? Bureaucrats are t entrepreneurs, risk is t a power point presentation – Indians I kw are willing to invest in country but y fear this Robin Hood arrives in Wall Street mentality that can go off and on at will. Money will go where money feels safe, t where it is made to feel guilty. It will flee faster than it arrives when it senses threat long before any committee can fathom much less course-correct. All Indian governments are guilty of guilt.

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re have been many takeaways (how I hate that formulation) since Budget day. Roadmap, high on promise low on delivery, where’s money, how can you distribute money that must t be generated and what is this about taking from rich and giving to poor people? “Dreaming big doesn’t necessarily mean acting big…if you’re looking for ‘big bang reforms’, don’t look for it in Budget 2019. Instead, read her budget as a series of small steps that bring efficiency into extant systems, a work-in-progress of past five years that takes NDA government’s policy continuity forward, and powered by BJP’s confidence of 303 seats in Lok Sabha,” writes Gautam Chikermane of Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in a fine essay that separates wheat from chaff.  Read here.
 
This is a complicated budget, high on verbosity and low on verticals. It has promise, but requires inexplicable penance from people - and always same people - who want thing more than to participate in India’s growth story. suggestion that petrol prices have been raised to nudge Indians to take to public transport is insensitive at best as is suggestion that poor people must own ir dreams and go out and make India of ir dreams happen. How? Who must create wealth even if one were to assume that an enlightened leadership (let's take example of philosopher-rulers from Plato’s Simile of Cave) would disburse that in best of national interest? It’s also odd to compare tax brackets in developed countries with that in India without speaking about social safety nets that some of former provide – why this muddle?

In this Kurukshetra, Madam Finance Minister, a war has to be wd against unemployment. Doesn’t matter how and with what armoury India will go out in world to bring in investments, spur growth nationally and give us country we deserve and leadership we voted for. We are t looking for God – we want jobs, we want to grow and prosper. 

Ecomies are based on philosophies as much as y are on numbers. Most human beings don’t want to be CEOs or go to institutions of excellence whose records are patchy in many cases. People want jobs, healthcare, social and ecomic security and peace that emerges as a dividend of that promise and hard work. 

What is India’s philosophy?

( views and opinions expressed within this article are personal opinions of author. facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in article do t reflect views of Republic TV/ Republic World/ ARG Outlier Media Pvt. Ltd.)