New Delhi, Feb. 8 -- India's Union Budget for 2024-25 was significant on two counts: (1) the government highlighted the achievements of this government in the past decades and (2) it presented a broad approach to India as a developed country in case the party is returned to power in the forthcoming elections.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman started her speech with bombastic claims of a "profound positive transformation of the Indian economy in the last ten years", with "social inclusivity through coverage of all strata of society" and "geographical inclusivity through the development of all regions in the country". This too rosy a picture of our economy is factually incorrect in most ways: The claim of the Niti Aayog that Multi-Dimen...