India, Jan. 26 -- As finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman prepares to present her eighth consecutive Union budget, common folks seared by high prices of food items, particularly vegetables, are looking for some relief. Households with limited income were particularly hurt as wages and salaries did not keep pace with rising inflation. Additionally, there are not enough jobs available for those looking for employment. This forced households to reduce or postpone consumption in the past few months, hurting corporate earnings.

HT identifies the top five concerns of common folks that the budget needs to address.

Households across the country shelled out more for kitchen essentials as prices of vegetables, cooking oil and milk rose. Vegetable ...