Budget 2024: What aam Mumbaikar thought of the budget

As Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the second Narendra Modi governmentrsquos final financial plan midday caught up with a group of family and friends in the western suburbs of Mumbai to gauge their mood and expectations from the outgoing governmentrsquos interim budgetWhile there was appreciation for the fact that the government did not put any additional tax burden on citizens there was also concern around policies aimed at uplifting the downtrodden empowering women generating employment and delivering better technologies for farmers all of which will have short and longterm implications on the economy and stability of our countryAlso Read Budget 2024 No tax incentives for homebuyers real estate continues to lack industry statusShilpa Varde 58 Retired teacherWithdrawal of outstanding income tax demands is a welcome step On the home front the government must ensure that there is no surge in the prices of vegetables which puts additional burden on the kitchen budget This can be done with improved infrastructure and storage facilities for farmers in local mandisArun Kalbag 71 Retired technocratThe best features are the education initiatives especially for girls whose enrolment has gone up by 28 per cent This is the very foundation of womenrsquos empowerment selfreliance and economic independence but the government has to ensure that much more is done in this field as the quality of education is equally important and must be clubbed with skill development The increased allocation for new universities of higher learning like IITs and IIMs is another positiveAkshay Kalbag 41 Writer and bloggerUnemployment has been a cause for concern since Independence Currently it is vital that more opportunities are created on a war footing considering the fact that we are a young country which can be a huge asset Startup India appears to be a good initiative as it will create new job opportunitiesAlso Read Budget 2024 evokes mixed reactions from hospitality healthcare and AI sectorsVinod Joshi 71 Retired MNC supplychain execIt is good that there were no freebies for votes because I strongly feel that once a precedent is set it becomes counterproductive in the long run as we have witnessed in some major economies of the West Being an avid traveller I welcome the initiative for better road and air connectivity as long as environmental concerns are not compromised and proper infrastructure is boosted to cater to the increasing number of touristsDr Pooja Joshi 40 Practicing homeopathThere has to be more emphasis on womenrsquos health which is lacking especially in rural India Making sanitary pads more pocket friendly will ensure that all women will have access to hygienic menstrual protection at affordable rates and not depend on used cloth and handkerchiefs which are washed and reusedAlso Read Interim Budget 2024 is balanced and promising Experts from Indiarsquos beauty sector reactSuvarna Kulkarni 52 Entrepreneur and homemakerEducation entrepreneurship ease of living and dignity are four vital pillars of women empowerment On the one hand the Micro Units Development Limited popularly known as Mudra Yojana appears to be a positive step the government has to ensure that benefits reach the deserving and proper training is given on the principals of doing business and managing manpower to ensure that the startups can sustain financially in a competitive marketAmeeta Kalbag 65 Retired MNC GMIn view of the upcoming elections everyone expected major announcements But lsquoFirst Develop Indiarsquo is a huge statement in a capsule The strata that do not come within the taxable income bracket will upgrade themselves automatically thanks to overall development in India Sabka prayas sabka vikas will happen It is a fair and cautious budget with no negativesIN PHOTOS Budget trivia 2024 Facts you must know about Indiarsquos Finance Ministers who have presented five full budgetsAlka Joshi 66 Retired banker and teacherThe reforms announced in the National Education Policy seem to be a welcome step but it has to remain an ongoing and a progressive process keeping up with the changing dynamics of our country More medical colleges are the need of the hour considering our population Apart from basic healthcare we have to be prepared to face any new challenges from pandemics which keep threatening the worldVishwajit Kulkarni 58 ArchitectControlling the fiscal deficit encouraging ecofriendly alternate sources of energy and no changes in the direct or indirect taxes are the positive features of the budget Although it is the last budget before the elections it was good to see that there were no unnecessary doles or schemes to lure voters The conditional withdrawal of unsubstantiated outstanding direct tax demands will be beneficial for the middle class