Finance Minister unveils the Budget.

But maybe not.

“If you have nothing else to say about the Budget, then you can call it election-budget,” he said in a tone tinged with sarcasm at the customary post-budget briefing.

I picked up these couple of *interesting* items.

Interesting tidbit # 1:

Farm loan waiver revolutionary step: Sonia

“Today is a very happy occasion. The waiver of loans on farmers by the UPA government is a revolutionary step…I congratulate the UPA government and Finance Minister P Chidambaram for it”

The interesting bit is ”a large gathering of farmers…descended at her 10, Janpath residence soon after the announcement of the relief in the Union Budget 2008-09” !!

I wonder where they were hiding until the budget was announced.

Interesting tidbit # 2:

FM doubles allocation for minority welfare 

Finance Minister P Chidambaram announced that the allocation for the Ministry of Minority Affairs has been increased from Rs 500 crore in 2007-08 to Rs 1,000 crore in 2008-09….

A total of 256 branches of public sector banks have been opened this year until December 2007 in districts with substantial minority population. He also said that 288 more will be opened by March 2008*.

The bit that caught my eye: “Chidambaram further announced that more candidates belonging to the minority communities will be recruited in the Central Para-Military Forces.”

Hmmm…Do the paramilitary forces come under the control of Finance Ministry? Last I heard they were still under the MHA…Just curious.

If any of you noticed something else in the Budget that I may have missed, please share it here.

* In this context, some of you will find this post interesting: Specious Arguments and False Propoganda

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