Budget 2025: Cheers for health, tax cuts, more demands for business, education

Cricket and the Budgetmdashthere are few things that can bring the entire family together in front of the TV these days like these two can Yesterdayrsquos Budget broadcast brought not one but four families together as they watched with bated breath to see what Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had planned for Indian citizensrsquo fortunes in 2025The four familiesmdashspanning three generations from senior citizens to middleaged citizens to teenaged studentmdashgathered in the Malad West residence of Chirag Chauhan the 39yearold survivor of the 2006 train blasts that killed 189 people and left him a paraplegic at the age of 21 Today Chauhan is a Chartered Accountant while his mother Anjana is the director of Faceless Compliance a company that provides virtual assistance with tax compliance With their combined finance and taxation expertise itrsquos no wonder that their friends gathered at their house to decode Budget 2025 Among them was Anjanarsquos fellow director at Faceless Compliance Advocate Rubina Eugene Dsouza along with her parents the Chauhansrsquo family friend Capt Rajat Singh and his son Angad and another family friend Vivek TrivediSenior citizens in the group lamented the lack of any new railway concessions for the elderly citing the need to make rail connectivity accessible to everyone Representational PicGetty ImagesAs they waited for Sitharaman to begin her announcement the familiesmdashall of whom categorise themselves as uppermiddle classmdashdiscussed their biggest hopes and fears The need to boost education in the country support senior citizens and to curb the exorbitant cost of treatment and medicines in private hospitalsHere are their reactions to Budget 2025Anjana Chauhan 71Chirag Chauhanrsquos mother Director Faceless ComplianceI was personally disappointed by the fact that no additional railway concession was provided for senior citizens apart from the initial 50 per cent discount The government has to understand the importance of rail connectivity for all including farmers who transport their perishables to the cities At the end of the day both the producers and consumers have to pay the additional priceMarina Dsouza 61Rubinarsquos mother HomemakerIrsquom happy to hear about no TDS for senior citizens on interest up to R1 lakh The budget seems to take care of senior citizens though a lot more could have been done in the field of mental and physical healthcare and overall wellbeingEugene Alex Dsouza 60Rubinarsquos father BusinessmanOverall it seems good but Irsquom a little disappointed as no benefit has been offered to the business sector which is the backbone of any vibrant economy The same applies to the youth who are venturing out with innovative ideas which have the potential to emerge as successful startupsAdv Rubina Eugene Dsouza 38Anjana Chauhanrsquos colleague Director Faceless ComplianceBudget 2025 has certainly met my expectations with a big relief on income tax Taxpayers under the new regime will definitely benefit from the reforms too But I was also expecting some relief on GST and indirect taxesCapt Rajat Singh 44Chauhansrsquo family friend Master Merchant NavyI think retail investors deserve some incentive for driving the nationrsquos growth Longterm capital gains should be subsidised to less than five per cent for retail investors who remain invested for more than five years Additionally I feel more should be spent on improving the rural medical infrastructure We still have not learnt the lesson from the COVID daysChirag Chauhan 39CA and 2006 train blasts survivorThe budget was really good for the middle class with the IT exemption It will also help the youth who are on the threshold of their careers TDS relief for senior citizens and on rent is also welcome along with the promise to have a specialised cancer hospital in every district and clean tap water for every household in the next three yearsVivek Trivedi 41Chauhansrsquo family friend Founder of Cure For Sure ayurvedic portalA good proportion of the budget has been allocated for MSMEs thereby encouraging private investors and giving a boost to employment I appreciate the tax relief on lifesaving drugs they should give similar relief for GST on Ayurvedic products too They have increased medical seats but I would suggest separate allocation for Ayurveda students too This will go a long way in ensuring that even the remotest village has robust primary health careAngad Rajat Singh 17Capt Rajatrsquos son College studentI think some more of the Budget should have gone towards helping students in rural areas get a proper education We see cuttingedge technology in private institutions while public schools in rural areas donrsquot even have proper teaching faculty