Bridging the gap

The outlook for the current fiscal year remains fairly uncertain. Even as some private sector forecasters are increasing their estimates of how much the economy would shrink, the government believes that things on the economic front are not that bad. While the final output number for the financial year will depend on a combination of factors, the continued rise in fresh Covid cases and the response of several state governments do not bode well for economic revival. Besides containing the pandemic and bringing the economy back on track, the other big problem for the government is managing its finances. The