The Union Budget elicited a mixed reaction from experts who participated in a budget literacy and perspective building meeting organised for college students by the Tata-Dhan Academy here on Wednesday.
While appreciating some of the schemes, like low-cost housing, S. Goswami, Professor of Strategy and Marketing, Thiagarajar School of Management, insisted that right delivery was important for their success. However, he felt that the Finance Minister was trying “to fix chairs and sofa in a living room instead of taking care of the whole family.”
Expressing a similar view, C. Muthuraja, Professor, Department of Economics, American College, said, “We can expect a good and positive impact if it is properly implemented.”
He also referred to the challenges for the economy like negative impact of demonetisation and USA’s foreign policy changes under Donald Trump.
R. Venkatasamy, a former Superintending Engineer, said that the budget was simply a statement of figures and its real impact would be seen only after utilisation of funds. “Though the Finance Minister had said that the government would double farmers’ income, the real beneficiaries of its funds will be corporate companies.” Farmers, he said, did not require loans but proper and sustainable irrigation sources.
J. Balasubramanian, a chartered accountant, applauded the government’s efforts towards implementing GST but felt that long-term perspective was missing in the budget.
A. Gurunathan, Director, Tata-Dhan Academy, spoke about the importance of the budget in the context of demonetisation and GST roll-out. Students from 10 colleges participated in the event.
