Interim Budget 2019: Balancing of long- and short-term priorities

The Budget has left us impressed with some of its profound statements. One must applaud the finance minister for containing and maintaining the fiscal deficit at 3.4 per cent of the GDP for FY20. This essentially calms the concerns about potential slippage on the fiscal front in an election year. However, what impressed me more is how he finely balanced the long- and short-term priorities. The highlight on the spending side is the income support scheme announced for marginal farmers, which marks an important step towards income-based support to the farmers. In addition, tax sops for middle-class are clearly welcome.