Budget's back on top

REGIONAL ROUNDUP

After a very low key run up to the Budget, the country's non-English language newspapers generally carried several front page stories, including the lead, on the Budget. In the north, Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar would have gladdened Finance Minister P Chidambaram's heart with its headline "Shahron par boj, gaon ki mauj" (cities burdened while villages get bonanza) since this is what the UPA's aam aadmi campaign is all about. The paper explained this by talking of the huge increase in spending in rural areas and juxtaposed this with the increase in the rates and spread of service taxes that are paid in urban areas. Bhaskar had a front page interview with the FM as the day's anchor.

Rajasthan Patrika decided to copy a leading English daily's style, and had Chidambaram atop a horse, striking a victorious pose "" it's front page anchor was on the hike in the defence budget. Punjab Kesri termed it a neutral affair and its lead headline reflected this "" "Na rahat, na aahat" (no relief, but no pain either).

The hike in service tax from 10 to 12 per cent, hit the page one headlines of almost all the Telugu dailies on Wednesday. While Eenadu described the Union Budget as "caught in the service net", Andhra Jyothi described the hike as "plus for the treasury". Vaartha carried on its front page that agricultural credit was being made available at 7 per cent, while there was no change in the taxation on income. Vaartha's editorial line was that the idea was to rake in money without burdening the common man. Eenadu said the impact of the hike in service tax would be felt sooner or later and will burden people, while Andhra Jyothi's view was the Budget was neutral to all sections.

Loksatta, Maharashtra Times and Sakal carried lead stories on the Budget and also carried stories on what Maharashtra in general and Mumbai in particular had got (or not got) from the Budget. They carried separate stories on the rise in service tax, provision of taxing the profit of co-operative banks (Maharashtra has a large network of co-operative banks), cut in the excise duty on small cars and the subsequent announcement of reduction in prices by companies like Maruti, tax exemption for long-term bank deposits and investment in pension funds, service tax on withdrawal from ATMs and so on.

Maharashtra Times carried reactions of celebrities from the film and cricket world, including Bollywood star Urmila Matondkar, Marathi film and stage artists Praiksha Lonkar, Sandeep Kulkarni, and former India cricket captain Dilip Vengsarkar.

While Loksatta wholeheartedly welcomed the Budget in its editorial, Maharashtra Times pointed out its shortcomings. Shiv Sena mouthpiece Samana called the Budget a mix bag.