<b>Abheek Barua:</b> The <i>notebandi</i> antidote

Some of its assumptions seem realistic while others are bound to raise a few eyebrows

Budget 2017 went the way of previous “Jaitley Budgets”, high on detail but with a somewhat smudgy big picture. However, experience shows that these workman-like Budgets fare better at delivery than grand mission statements. Thus, on this metric this Budget should get a reasonably high score.

Although the discussion on the adverse impact of demonetisation was cursory in the FM’s speech, various fiscal announcements suggest that the budget- makers both recognised and sought to remedy the disruption that it caused. These remedies range from the step up in allocation to the rural economy (feared to be hurt most severely by