Govt to present full budget, not vote-on account, in February
By Our Banking Bureau | 06 Dec 2003
New
Delhi: Indian Finance Minister Jaswant Singh has
said that there will be a full budget and not vote-on
account, given that the prime minister himself has already
said that Lok Sabha elections will be as per schedule
in October 2004.
About
whether the intended full budget will nevertheless turn
out to be soft with a reduced reforms thrust, Singh
said: "Reforms are a continuous process."
Singh said placing excessive emphasis on the budget is a "throwback to the idioms of yesterday and there is a need to demystify the budget process." He reiterated his now familiar line: "Management of the country's finances is not any black magic."
Singh
also refuted criticism about the government going overboard
in projecting the current economic turnaround through
its India Shining campaign. "No one can deny that
the feel-good factor that was seemingly missing has
now returned. Why should we feel guilty about feeling
good? Indeed, one should feel good about feel-good."