<b>Amitabh Chaudhry</b>: Decent expenditure mix

The cut in taxes for small-scale enterprises will generate employment

The finance minister presented the Budget amid high expectations from almost every section of society. In light of the weak private sector capital expenditure, the government was expected to accelerate its own spending while maintaining the fiscal balance. After demonetisation, it was expected that the Budget would be fiscally expansionary in nature.  While there is some additional fiscal spending, with the target fiscal deficit for FY18 at 3.2 per cent, compared to 3 per cent stated earlier, we believe that the government has been fiscally prudent, which is good from a long-term perspective.
 
The mix of expenditure in the