Budget Byte

How TikTok, the new "hit machine", chooses which songs go most viral

TikTok, a social network where people post short videos, often set to music, has become this generation's hit machine

Budget Byte: Healthy corporate profits may help improve govt spending

Rising corporate profits and relatively unaffected salaries may help continue this trend giving a positive impetus to government spending

Budget Byte: Post-pandemic Budget has less room for targeted spending

Efficacy of fiscal deficit is limited by revenue deficit - the lower the latter, the bigger the space for capex

Budget Byte: NBFCs may need liquidity support from PSBs for commercial flow

This year, while housing finance has improved, preliminary data shows that NBFC flow to the commercial sector is lagging

Budget Byte: Banks' non-performing assets likely to bulge in 2021

This daily series of graphs provides context to some of the critical issues relating to the Union Budget on February 1

Budget Byte: Imports grow after 9 months, signal consumption recovery

This daily series of graphs provides context to some of the critical issues relating to the Union Budget on February 1

Budget Byte: Education scheme 'Samagra Shiksha' expenditure fell in 2020

This daily series of graphs provides context to some of the critical issues relating to the Union Budget on February 1

Budget Byte: Public health & wellness centres saw huge turnout in 2020

This daily series of graphs provides context to some of the critical issues relating to the Union Budget on February 1

Budget Byte: Expenditure on urban projects needs to reach pre-Covid levels

In the current financial year, the flow towards capex has slowed down a bit, due to the need to spend financial resources elsewhere

Budget Byte: Bad year for PSUs may impact dividend payout to govt

Though the stock market touched new highs in 2020, the PSU index was late to the party, and has barely recovered to January 2020 levels

Budget Byte: Export needs budgetary support for overall economic growth

Strategic incentives through the Budget may help boost exports.

Budget Byte: How GST collections and share of central scheme alter spending

While the actual expenditure on centrally sponsored schemes was more than the Budget estimate for FY17 and FY18, the target remained unmet in FY19 and FY20 (revised estimate)

Budget Byte: Farmer income support nears target, but gap remains

This daily series of graphs provides context to some of the critical issues relating to the Union Budget on February 1

Budget Byte: Can the GDP fall increase Budgetary share of defence forces?

Due to a contraction in the economy, defence spend as a share of GDP has risen in the first half of this year, touching the mark of 2%

Budget Byte: Borrowing to boost spending but debt will bother govt

Even before Covid-19 struck the economy, government was borrowing at a rate that was very close to the nominal GDP growth

Budget Byte: Disinvestment way behind target of Rs 2.1 trillion, again

This daily series of graphs provides context on some of the critical issues relating to the Union Budget on February 1

Budget Byte: How far will fuel excise duty help govt's fiscal plans?

Though high priced than before, petrol and diesel consumption came back to pre-Covid levels in recent months

Budget Byte: What Sitharaman may have planned for subsidies in Budget

A lot of Budgetary funds get saved on subsidies in March, as off-Budget small savings replace them. It remains to be seen how it goes this year

Budget 2021: What will be the growth, spending story in post-pandemic world

Here is an interesting graphic explaining the growth and spending story

Budget Byte: Agriculture as a bright spot for Union Budget 2021-22

Gross value added by agriculture did not dip in 2020-21; rather, it was the only sector that showed growth