It's that time of the year again when wish
lists are drawn by all and sundry and expectations are high
that at least some of the wishes will be granted in the Union
Budget. Yes, in about two weeks from now, the incumbent United
Progressive Alliance (UPA) government will present its last
but one budget before it goes to general parliamentary
elections in CY2009. Needless to say investors will be hanging
on every word of P Chidambaram when he presents the budget for
FY2008 on February 28, 2007. That's because they will be eager
to see if the finance minister uses the opportunity to push
forward fiscal reforms and announce well-directed spending on
infrastructure, education and the farm sector. With the budget
around the corner, we take this opportunity to present our
pre-budget report.
