Sir — This refers to the editorial, “For A Healthy India” (February 2). The Union Budget 2018-19 appears quite tame and devoid of any dazzling new announcements. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley unveiled a Budget big on promise but short on funds as the Government attempts to woo farmers, small businesses and the salaried folk with a scatter shot of schemes, incentives and illusory tax breaks, while hunkering down for battle at a general election.
The Gujarat Assembly election result, which suggested rural anger, seemed to have weighed heavily on the last full Budget before the next Lok Sabha poll. Farmers are now promised a widened crop price support programme and the poor are offered a health insurance cover of five lakh rupees per family, billed as the world’s largest Government-funded healthcare programme, but with no clear indication of how it intends to pay for the largesse.
Salaried individuals are offered a standard deduction of Rs 40,000 but net gain translates into a paltry Rs 5,800 per assessee. Jobs and new employment opportunities are hardly visible. The NDA Government can only pray that the measures announced will yield discernible results in a rather short span of time.