New Delhi, February 01:
Union Budget 2022 is coming just days before the first phase of assembly elections in five states Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa is held on February 7. The Union Budget is likely to address some of the core political issues, particularly relating to big states such as Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.
The reason is simple: these five states together elect 690 MLAs and 145 MPs (102 to the Lok Sabha and 43 to the Rajya Sabha). Additionally, one of the biggest reforms pushes undertaken by the Narendra Modi government found the strongest pushback from Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. The year-long farmers’ protest that saw the involvement of a large number of youths forced the government to retreat on its farm reforms path in November 2021.
There is a strong anticipation that Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget on Tuesday would focus on farmers, youth and women, besides spelling out a financial plan to strengthen health infrastructure in poorer states such as Uttar Pradesh. The focus on health flows directly from the Covid-19 situation that Uttar Pradesh and the rest of the country have witnessed over the two years of pandemic.
