If I were the finance minister: Here's what Indian Gen-Z says they will focus on

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Budget to the Parliament on February 1 As the country gears up to see how its precious tax money is to be spent in financial year 2026 the nationrsquos youth wants to put in their two cents as wellRoti kapda makaanSusmitha AkulaWe keep building more roads but whorsquos taking care of their upkeep ldquoInfrastructure is not just about building more roads and highways but directing funds towards its regular maintenancerdquo says Susmitha Akula 19 an anthropology student She also urges for more spending on irrigation infrastructure as well as governmentaided harvest machinery Akula gets our vote for highlighting a grouse of the common man ldquoThere should be skilltraining for officials who oversee implementation of government policies at a grassroots levelrdquo she says arguing for stronger welfare policies ldquofunding NGOs dealing with development of minority groups social entrepreneurship funding inhouse production of medicine and facilitating its supply and so on is importantrdquo Lastly she calls for ldquocreation and protection of nonpartisan think tanks to overlook matters of civil crime and corruptionrdquoBrain drain refrainNachiket GurjarNachiket Gurjar 19 a political science student at St Xavierrsquos College identifies a gap in the education system ldquoThe budget should focus on increasing funding for primary educationrdquo he says ldquoas most of the lower level schools are underdevelopedrdquo Hersquod also seek more funding for research and development ldquoThis would ensure that our intelligentsia doesnrsquot migrate abroadrdquo referring to the problem of ldquobrain drainrdquo His third pick is what all Mumbaikars would agree with mdash spending on infrastructural growth such as public roads and sanitationThe Three EsSwara PatilSpending on defence should be a priority says Swara Patil 19 a political science student at St Xavierrsquos College but not at the cost of other aspects ldquoMy Budget would focus on three Es mdash education economic development and environmentrdquo The Budget should in her opinion focus on skillsbased training for the youth as well as building proper educational infrastructure She also pushes for qualitative economic development stating ldquoEconomic growth should not just be in terms of numbers but should reflect in everyday lives of citizens This includes employment opportunities and skill development This will increase the quality of liferdquo Lastly she stresses upon saving the environment ldquoThere is nothing without the environment that sustains us It is time we do something tangible to save the EarthrdquoLower taxes More foreign investmentAnkit ChakrabortyWith the recent increase in longterm and shortterm capital gains taxes because of which ldquoin my opinion India is losing out on a lot of foreign investmentrdquo says Ankit Chakraborty 21 a recent graduate of communication and media from Christ deemed University in Bengaluru ldquoAlso the Rupee isnrsquot doing well compared to Dollars If I was a foreign investor Irsquod want to invest in India since itrsquos an emerging market and better returns but if I have to pay such high taxes along with currency depreciation it just makes no senserdquo he adds pushing for lower taxes His next priority would be education and research and development ldquoIn the last few years we have focused a lot on defence and the railways According to the NEP 2020 our education spending should be around 6 per cent but right now itrsquos hovering around 23 per centrdquoCheaper movie ticketsNila VarmaIndian cities need to be walkablerdquo says Nila Mukund Varma 19 a mass communication student ldquoWalking around should not feel like a survival show My hostel is barely five kilometers from college but completely unwalkable We need better pedestrian infrastructurerdquo She would also put lesser taxes on movies saying that a movie ticket should not cost 480Not fareYugandhara BandiwadekarRemember when a Rs 5 bus ticket could get you across town With fares having doubled the rising cost of public transportation is a major concern for Yugandhara Bandiwadekar 19 a secondyear science student ldquoIrsquod want bus fares to reduce their fares especially for shorter distancesrdquo Rising fuel costs are partly to blame of course ldquoMy mother tells me how you could fill your carrsquos fuel tank up for Rs 200 at one point Now that amount gets you barely halfway throughrdquo After paying more for a bus or car ride to says the movie theatre therersquos yet another thing that empties wallets ldquoThe food at theatres now costs more than the movie ticketsrdquo