Watch: Beyond Headlines with AKB, Ep 1: Pandemic Budget or lockdown Budget?

FM Nirmala Sitharaman has said she will not hold back on spending to contain fiscal deficit

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget 2021 is set to be one of the most important Budgets in India’s history. Even if the economic growth was flagging for a couple of quarters before the coronavirus struck, the pandemic and the nationwide lockdowns to contain its spread dealt a body blow to economic activities.
 
Coming as it is against this backdrop, Budget 2021 will be keenly watched by all for more policy moves to prop up the economy. What should we expect to see? Will this be a pandemic Budget or lockdown Budget? We know that the fiscal deficit has gone way past what was budgeted last time. But how far off will it be from the target?
 
In the first of a series of videos in the run-up to the Budget, Business Standard Editorial Director A K Bhattacharya takes us beyond the headlines to answer these questions. Watch this video for his expert views on what to expect from this Budget.