'I am scared of the Budget'

Savita Oberoi, 24, former communication official, says: "The Budget is important because each year the prices go up and the index is monitored, especially by the common man."

"If you ask me, I look at it with trepidation because to me it means that the cost of living is bound to go up."

"I belong to a middle-class family and I aspire to lead a comfortable albeit creative and constructive life. But I wish the government took the initiative in employment generation. When I hear that even engineers and scientists are going jobless, it makes me think what exactly our politicians have been doing for more than half a century since independence."

"Right know I am doing some freelance work but even if I held a regular job, I am the kind who plans her moves well in advance. Each year things become more expensive so the Budget is mostly bad news."

"I don't know much about Chidambaram as a finance minister. I hope he gives a square deal to the bulk of our people. I remember one of our former presidents telling our people to share wealth in order to avoid a bloodbath. That scenario is scary because it means that barring the microscopic minority, the majority are struggling to make ends meet."

"If I got an opportunity to become the finance minister, I would hire experts in the financial field to deliver the goods and ensure that they did just that!"

"To even a simple person like me, it is obvious that the chasm between the haves and have-nots have become wider despite the globalisation of our economy."

- As told to Tara Shankar Sahay

Photograph: Vijender Tyagi

Budget 2004-05: Complete Coverage