Farm-loan waiver, tax cuts, fiscal prudence: Expectations from Budget 2022

With five state elections in the coming months - Uttar Pradesh and Punjab being the major ones - some populist measures are also not ruled out, analysts said.

The Union Budget for fiscal 2022-23 (FY23) slated to be unveiled on February 01 comes at a time when the Indian economy is facing multiple challenges in the form rising crude oil prices and sticky inflation that can put a strain on government coffers in the months ahead. Sporadic lockdowns in the backdrop of the Omicron Covid variant have already impacted business sentiment in select sectors.

In this backdrop, analysts feel trade, hospitality & travel, auto and logistics sectors that have been significantly impacted over the past few months may get special attention in the upcoming budget. With five state