Beyond Budget Headlines with AKB: Govt should invest in small-gestation projects

In this second episode of our special video series on Budget, A K Bhattacharya talks about fiscal deficit target, government spending and disinvestment goals

Many think that the Narendra Modi government has spent a lot this year, especially to mitigate issues faced by people in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. It’s true that the government has announced stimulus packages to the tune of Rs 30 trillion. But if one were to make a comparison, the government expenditure this year (till October-end) was roughly the same as last year. Given that expenditure this year was budgeted to be 13 per cent more than last year, the finance minister would be expected to spend more in order to expedite economic recovery. But where should she