Hopes in the balance: How much can the Budget do for the rural sector?

The government will have to tweak the demand for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and may retain the demand for PM Kisan to not allow fiscal slippage

In spite of the bonanza from the Reserve Bank of India, which transferred more than double the surplus that was expected in the Interim Budget for 2024-25 (FY25), and the likely slight uptick in tax collections, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will need to prioritise the demand from the farm and rural sector within the budgetary considerations to stay on the path of fiscal consolidation.

The government has around Rs 1.09 trillion more from the RBI transfers than the Rs 1.02 trillion pegged from this head and dividends from public sector banks (PSBs). Besides, the government received Rs