<b>A K Bhattacharya:</b> Bold Survey, sombre message

Survey is more categorical as far as the options the govt has with regard to fiscal consolidation

Last year, the pre-Budget Economic Survey broke new ground. In addition to the main chapter outlining the chief economic advisor’s outlook for the Indian economy, its prospects and challenges, the Survey contained as many as 10 new chapters that focused on new ideas, issues and challenges that needed to be analysed so that the government could frame appropriate policy responses to them. That document was hailed as a bold attempt at raising the level of the government’s internal debate on economic policy issues and taking it beyond the confines of what is usually understood by conservatism and political correctness.

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