Union finance minister Arun Jaitley announced a slew of measures to address the concerns of rural Indian in the Union Budget 2018. Photo: PTIHeadline: Return of Rural ConcernsIn his first budget speech in July 2014, the first after a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition stormed to power on the promise of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, finance minister Arun Jaitley devoted a significant portion to rural concerns. The frequency of appearance of certain words related to the farm economy bears out this fact. Since then, rural issues have taken somewhat of a back seat in Jaitley’s budget speeches. With many rural voters turning against the BJP in recent elections, rural concerns have regained prominence in the Union Budget 2018.

Source: Mint February 04, 2018 19:07 UTC