My Budget: Rajat Kapoor

The actor-filmmaker says one shouldn't shy away from praising the positives

Has Finance Minister P Chidambaram steered the economy out of the woods?
One would certainly hope so, but the way the Sensex is reacting, it does not look like it. I don't understand why it is dipping so low, as if this was the worst Budget ever.

Is this a populist, please-all budget?
If it had been a please-all Budget, why would the Sensex be reacting like this? It is commendable that the finance minister has made an outlay of Rs 1,000 crore for the Nirbhaya Fund to ensure the safety of women and that the focus seems to be on the social sector and rural India. It's interesting that people earning Rs 1 crore or more in a year will have to pay an additional surcharge of 10 per cent. One shouldn't shy away from praising the positives.

Will it help the economy, create jobs, restart stalled projects?
With its emphasis on infrastructure, I am hopeful that it will result in job creation and get the economy moving. The intentions are good but the key lies in implementation. What I don't understand is that the allocation for defence is still a mind-boggling Rs 2.36 lakh crore while that for education is Rs 65,687 crore! If we could only reverse the two, it would be so much better.

Will it help UPA win votes in the general elections?
It's wrong to see every measure as one designed to get votes. I hope that the finance minister has a larger vision than that. There have been finance ministers in the past who have taken risks even during election years. I think Chidambaram is one of them. When he took charge last year, he immediately got things moving.

Rajat Kapoor, actor-filmmaker