BIG BUCKS
NO BANG
Shorn of any big idea, Budget 2007 is an essay that tries to
manage the exigencies of politics and the public outcry on inflation
even as it attempts to balance the need for growth. It satisfies
neither political wants nor economic needs.
Prolonged tenures and lack of follow-up action by
governments have reduced judicial commissions and
tribunals to expensive and ineffective political tools.
India Today's Neeraj Mishra reports.
Buoyant tax revenues, high growth and the India euphoria
called for a big bang approach to reforms this Budget.
Sadly, it seems to have missed the shuttle for a higher
orbit.
The mysterious Ottavio Quattrocchi resurfaces, this
time in Argentina, raising a political storm and forcing
an embarrassed UPA Government to make a show of seeking
his extradition. Can the CBI get him back or is the
case finally buried?
Once completed, Greater Hyderabad might become the country's
largest metro, but the project is being opposed by political
groups which fear that this is a precursor to turning
the city into a Union territory.
In their bid to acquire prized real estate, developers
in Mumbai have found a vulnerable lot in small shopkeepers
and residents of old buildings. With police being hand
in glove, there's little respite.
The state Government beckons foreigners via graveyard
tourism while cashing in on the history of British Raj
as India gets ready to celebrate 150th year of her first
war of Independence
The Budget has little to offer to individuals. Tinkering
a bit with a benefit here or a sop there, the finance
minister has cast the net wider on some preferred investment
options of the moneyed.
A novel experiment of holding courts
for two hours in the evening by paying the existing
staff extra salary is helping the state clear its backlog
of over 32 lakh pending cases.
Inspired by the success stories of Google, YouTube and
MySpace, Indian entrepreneurs are setting up shops on
the infotech highway amply funded by venture capital
amounting to over Rs 13,000 crore
Small-screen celebrities looking for alternative sources
of income are launching innovative ventures ranging
from dog salons and restaurants to production houses
COVER
STORY: Budget 2007: THE POLITICS
