Union Budget 2022: Nothing for us, says middle class

The Yadav family watches news of the Budget at home, on Tuesday. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

The government should have offered some relief from skyrocketing prices of basic food items, increased the tax slab for the middle-class segment in the Budget," said the Yadav family from Navi Mumbai. The members of the family said that education has become expensive and it would have been great to get some reprieve.

In our quest to understand the perspective of the middle-class on the Budget, mid-day visited an interesting or rather unique family of Ram Naresh Yadav, 72, a retired professional, and his wife Devraji Yadav, 71, a homemaker, in Navi Mumbai.

What sets the family apart is the fact that in the era where nuclear families have become an accepted norm, the Yadavs, spread across three generations, live under one roof. This made the family an apt choice to get a comprehensive viewpoint on their expectations and apprehensions from the Budget.

The family of couple Ram Naresh Yadav, 72, and Devraji Yadav, 71, at their home in Kamothe, Navi Mumbai. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Pravin Yadav, 39, HR professional, said, "Due to the pandemic and rising inflation, the cost of living has risen dramatically. I was expecting a hike in 80C limit, but unfortunately, the government failed to deliver."

"While I appreciate the focus on infra, jobs and connectivity, we need to build medical and education system right from root. The pandemic was an eye opener and I was expecting a great amount of investment in these sector," said Anita Yadav, 35, a homemaker.

A daughter-in-law of the family, Manju Yadav, 45, a homemaker, said, "We have a common kitchen that feeds the entire family, and even a slight fluctuation in the cost of vegetables or other essential items affects us big time."

Another daughter-in-law said she is "more concerned about basic expenses that are involved in running the kitchen. I was expecting some more relief."

Most of the youngsters in the family were a happy lot, but a few expressed concern about inflation and high education costs.

A second-year BCom student, Muskaan Yadav, 18, believed the government should have addressed the issue of rising prices. "Even at this age I can see how difficult it is to maintain a proper household budget, failing which could lead to financial problems. Prices of basic essential items like tea, edible oil, pulses, meat and even cooking gas have been continuously skyrocketing."

Rupesh Yadav, 21, who is pursuing MBA, said, "Basic education in private schools is beyond the reach of the common man. The situation gets worse when higher studies, like MBA, engineering and medical come into play. I was expecting the Budget to ease this burden by offering more pocket-friendly education loans."

"But I admire the proposals of digital university, skill programmes and starting 188 new educational TV channels with the promise of imparting world class education to rural India in the language of their choice," he added.

Khushi Yadav, 16, a school student, "I am currently studying commerce and want to go abroad for further studies. I feel happy that the government is planning to issue e-passports so there is no risk of misplacing it."

Deepali Yadav, 19, a college student said, "As a youngster, I welcome the government's initiative to reduce the prices of electronic goods, especially if it happens for tablets and mobile phones that are no longer just a source of entertainment, but a medium of education. But even the poor students should be able to afford it."

Ram Awad Yadav, 47, a working professional, said, "The Budget should have emphasised on the basic needs of the citizens. Yes, the roadmap for the next 25 years is impressive and if implemented in the right sense, it shall see our country progress like never before."

Rahul Yadav, 25, an HR executive, said, "The finance minister has projected that 60 lakh new jobs would be created, but given the size of our population, I am not sure if this would be adequate to eradicate unemployment."

‘Salaried class had major expectations'

Pramod Yadav, 44, a banker, said, "The salaried class had major expectations to get some relief in taxation. There was a lot of hype that the standard deduction will be increased from R50,000 to R1 lakh and the interest on home loan was to be increased from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh, but nothing happened. This was a big disappointment for all. However, I am still happy that the government will continue with both the options of old and new tax regimes for now."

Devendra Yadav, 26, who is pursuing MBA, said, "I feel there is a lot of scope for improving the healthcare sector. We have to learn from the past that pandemics have a direct negative impact on the economy. We all were taken by surprise when the first COVID-19 wave hit us. Investing in research and development, and attracting direct investments in the healthcare sector will go a long way in prevention and also ensure that we are much better equipped to handle any future pandemics."

Anupama Yadav, 31, a banker, said, "More steps should have been taken by the government to increase the tax slabs, which would have been beneficial for the middle class segment. In the current scenario where major expenses are being made for infra projects, some policy or subsidy should have been announced to reduce inflation. Being a mother of a five-year-old, I know firsthand how expensive the education has become, but see no relief for the parents in the Budget."

Ram Naresh, the head of the family, said, "To me, apart from basic survival, education is of prime importance. I am happy that the government proposes to invite foreign universities to our country and also has plans to initiate a digital university." "Being a farmer at heart, I also welcome the proposed steps to improve agri education and further promote organic farming."