'It will be a tough balancing act for the FM'

Kavita Hurry, managing director and CEO of ING Vysya Mutual Fund, has a keen interest in the annual budgetary exercise.

She says the Budget this year is particularly important as there has been a change in government and the new dispensation will have new ideas and policies to guide the economy.

The forty-something high-flier says: "It will be tough for Finance Minister Chidambaram to make everyone happy. It will be a tough balancing act for him. All he needs to do is to maintain the current status. Even if he doesn't give us many positives, he must not do anything negative."

"There should not be any rollbacks because of the Left front pressure. The government will not be able to keep its Budget promises if there are rollbacks."

Yet, much like most others, she too feels that the Budget will lose its significance if the government keeps making changes throughout the year. "They should announce their policy and stick with it."

"The Budget affects market sentiment, and so it does have an impact on the flow of money. And in mutual funds, your money has to keep flowing."

"Chidambaram is topnotch. He is aware of the realities of the economy and knows how to change the structure where necessary. It would help if he concentrates on the rural areas. He should not concentrate on the 'haves,' but on the 'have-nots.'

If she becomes the finance minister, she would make it mandatory for all big companies to adopt certain rural areas for development. "I would make it mandatory for the private sector to share the burden of the government."

-- A Ganesh Nadar

Budget 2004-05: Complete Coverage

Also see: The Tata legacy