The Hindu Business Line : Six wishful demands for a dreamy Budget

Industry bodies, trade associations, consumer fora and the media have all released their Budget wish lists. Some of these may come through; others may never see the light of the day.

But what about the wish list of the ordinary young 20-something Indian? Here is a light-hearted compilation of what could be their requirements from the Union Budget. Will these reflect in the Budget? They certainly won’t, but that doesn’t stop us from wishing!

Waiver on loan and credit card duesz:

Remember the protagonist in the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic? She buys all kinds of things she considers goodies with her credit card. She buys anything she can gets her hands on; its utility matters little. The protagonist, played by Isla Fischer, ends up with a credit card bill that is clearly beyond her means.

Cut back to our own country, you just need to look at your office place and friendly neighbourhood for any number of young and old people who spend beyond their means. These noble consumers, with potential to spur economic growth through their friendly spending habits, are now lying low, thanks to the stringent measures of banks.

In order to restore financial (dis)order in such people’s lives, and also to revive consumption, the government should waive the credit card bills and personal loans. This will encourage them to come out of their den and consume their way to growth. If the Finance Minister is done with farm loan waivers, can he look at this please?

Employment guarantee for white collar workers:

In these days of job losses and salary freezes, why not have an Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme for white collar workers?

There was this statement made by a 25-year-old girl who said “I am professionally qualified and am indispensable for my company”. She was given the pink slip the next day.

On the lines of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, professionals who have been shown the door in their companies can be given a temporary government job with the same pay till they find another job of their choice. This will ensure that there is no social unrest!

Free food and entertainment coupons for the under-employed:

In the event of the government being unable to employ the laid off white collar workforce, it must compensate by providing food and entertainment vouchers that can be used at the best restaurants and multiplexes in the city. After all, the government may not be able to replace the fancy canteens in private firms where these employees were earlier placed.

Further, entertainment could be the only solution to elevate the spirits of the poor unwanted souls cast away by disloyal corporates.

Introduce “garib” planes for youth attending interview:

Attending interviews to seek a new job is a tedious affair. You may have to travel to other cities for attending multiple interviews. Plus, imagine the number of people going over to other states for writing exams (especially the Railways and State Government exams) and getting beaten up in the process by some political party workers who are against the influx.

If such people were to arrive in a garib flight or even a garib quota seat of a regular airline, they may be spared of the misery as few would know when they came in and got out of the state. You see, airlines are grappling with lower load factors. What better way to convert this crisis into an opportunity than by introducing garib planes or seats under ‘garib’ category in every plane.

Keep a tab on fuel prices:

Hey, it has just gotten expensive to zoom around the city in the motorbike with my girlfriend in the rear seat, or even commuting to work. Yeah, we all know that if international crude prices rise, petrol prices have to follow suit. But for a nation such as India, we cannot afford to be completely market-linked. We don’t mind a market-linked fuel price, as long as crude oil is heading down. But can prices please be capped when petrol prices climb above Rs 40 a litre? .

Distribute construction materials through PDS:

It is the dream of every Indian, young or old, to buy a house at the first opportunity. For people who own small parcels of land (around one ground) by inheritance or hard work, the government must sell cement and steel required for construction of a house through the public distribution system.

The costs of these materials must be at the cost price of these materials procured from companies. Of course, it may be necessary to cap the size of the house to around 1,200 sq.ft with only a ground floor allowed. People will invariably own land outside the city or in their villages. So a move away from the city will mean less congestion and demand on the resources of the main part of our cities.

After all, providing for food and clothes without shelter keeps the reforms process incomplete.

There are also some regular demands, such as raising the minimum taxable income to Rs 3 lakh, pegging deposit and small saving rates at consumer price index (industrial workers) rate plus 2-3 per cent, depending on whether an individual is a regular or a senior citizen.

We won’t demand anything more; you see, we care about India’s burgeoning fiscal deficit, its lower sovereign rating….

(With inputs from M.V.S. Santosh Kumar)

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