Welcome focus on cutting logistics cost – R. Dinesh’s budget views

The Budget has used the Covid crisis as an opportunity to bring in the necessary focus on infrastructure investments and building capabilities. It is laudable that the earlier initiatives have been continued at the same time. The Finance Minister has heard, assimilated and chosen to find solutions for most of the points brought to her notice. Each of the six themes has precise budgetary allocations made for the same, which will help execute.

The Finance Minister has allowed the fiscal deficit to increase and provided for earlier off-budget provisions fully (the Ministry pegs FY21 fiscal deficit at 9.5 per cent and FY22 deficit at 6.8 per cent of GDP) while relying on disinvestments and tax revenues to help bring the deficit down to 4.5 per cent only, by 2026, which allows enough headroom to continue to make necessary investments in the future as well.

Logistics sector

The ₹3,000 crores being spent for continuing the apprenticeship scheme will enable the logistics sector to increase employment significantly.

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