Continuity with No Change-Budget 1996-97

Continuity with No Change Budget 1996-97 K S Krishnaswamy CONCLUDING the budget speech, P Chidambaram hoped thai his maiden effort at budget-making had blended "in the right proportions-courage and compassion, reform and restraint and growth and social justice''. He certainly seems to have pleased the members of the United Front, at least at first blush. How they will react when they look at the nitty-gritty of the various revenue and expenditure measures detailed in the budget documents remains to be seen. Be that as it may, at least the Congress Party will be pleased as punch even after mulling over the details. Save for some difference in phraseology and political packaging, this could easily be called the latest budget of Munmohan Singh. Not surprising, since much of the gathering of bricks and cementing has been done by the same old experts in the finance ministry and the IAS, with some assistance from the RBI and Raja Chelliah.