Cover Story
- The first Budget since demonetisation has been a careful exercise by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. It caters to the core constituency - farmers and lower income people - while not introducing anything that hurt industry.
A Little Relief
All you need to know about the Budget to realign your finances with the new tax rules.
The Debt Gamble
Low cost of debt has helped Reliance raise huge loans. Jio's success is a must for it to again rebalance its debt-to-equity ratio. While spending prudently, Arun Jaitley has managed to ensure that the government's pet schemes don't remain underfunded. The cab aggregation industry is facing a demand-supply mismatch, denting the earnings of drivers. New US administration's move on H-1B visas and protectionist rhetoric are bad news for India's exports, especially from the information technology sector. Shares pledged by promoters touched a 13-quarter high at the end of December. The proposed Vodafone-Idea merger, although beneficial for the sector, may not augur well for consumers.
A Class Apart
In the clutter of laptops, tablets and hybrids, Lenovo's Yoga Book is a breath of fresh air. Tricks and hacks to learn a new skill, manage your time and tasks better, and get an edge in your work life. Why political campaigns do better than brand campaigns on social media.
Big Changes
The Budget has the potential to reverse the declining investment cycle and spur demand growth, eventually building up to 7 per cent-plus GDP growth in 2017/18 Rural, agriculture and allied sectors get top priority. The allocations are tilted towards schemes and projects that have already been prioritised. The book explains in great detail Mao Zedong's dogged pursuit of ideologically pure communism, and the resulting catastrophe. Cloud telephony is at a take-off point but a poor regulatory environment may yet derail it. Adequate finance to MSMEs is a must to help them get out of the slump caused by demonetisation. The Budget tries to do just thatMoving Out of an Outdated Tradition
The finance minister has brought down the fiscal deficit to an unprecedentedly low level. Now he must raise his ambition Consumer and cement sectors may benefit from the rural focus and thrust on infrastructure may help select defence and capital goods stocks Poll frenzy has led to a spike in demand for business aviation, but demonetisation could spoil the party. Real estate gets a shot in the arm, with a raft of proposals for the sector. The government continues to bet on high infrastructure spending to get growth going. It is time to focus on getting the execution right. Hit by scams and delays in clearances, the mineral mining sector struggles for investments while shelved projects pile up. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella joins the chorus of opposition to curbs on entry of immigrants from some countries announced by US President Donald Trump. Leo Puri has a plan to help UTI AMC get its mojo back. But it may be difficult to make it work.
BHIM Explained
With BHIM, the government is fortifying its focus on digital India. We tell you how the app fares compared with other digital payment solutions The worst seems to be over for the banking sector. It may be the right time to buy bank stocks.
Green Shoots
Indian retail is set to script a turnaround after years of weak demand and sluggish growth.
What the Budget Means for the Aam Aadmi
Normal 0 false false false EN-IN X-NONE X-NONE Poorva Prakash, Senior Director, Deloitte Haskins and Sells LLP You need a financial plan to secure your future. Our experts show you how you can go about it.
Spurring Growth
The Rs 7,200-crore tax-cut bonanza is likely to rev up the MSME sector reeling under the effect of demonetisation. The tech industry sees a major business opportunity in increased allocation for the BharatNet project.
Straight and Narrow
Still, the 'narrow' corridor managed to include measures to boost consumption, to provide growth stimulus, and to ensure fiscal discipline. This Budget has relied on strengthening strategies for agricultural progress articulated in the previous year, rather than new initiatives
Leaderspeak Kurt Stoeckli
Kurt Stoeckli, President and Chief Scientific Officer, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, talks to P.B. Jayakumar about the latest trends in drug research globally.
A Balancing Act
In my letter (A Lack of Data) in the Business Today pre-Budget special, I had pointed out: "Almost all economists agree what the finance minister ought to do. He should go in for hefty tax cuts to make firms and consumers start spending again, deepen the social security net so that the poor are benefitted, and boost government spending on infrastructure to get the economy going."
