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Anniversaries are a mark of looking back and also looking to the future. The world had remembered one year of Covid – 19 outbreaks on January 21, when the first case of Novel Coronavirus was reported in Wuhan. As it spread to other countries, the world woke up, and the World Health Organization declared it a pandemic.

Over-promise and under-delivery has come to stick as a trademark of Nirmala Sitharaman’s performance as finance minister. Despite protestations to the contrary, her latest budget is no exception.

The year of shutdown of the economy which created unprecedented joblessness has been left behind, but the Indian economy will take at least two years to come to the pre-pandemic level, says the Economic Survey 2020-21. If it is true, the budget projections for the year 2021-22 are certainly unrealistic. Even digging deep into the heap of jugglery, one finds only a little. Jobseekers and labours are shrewdly swaddled in hope, but they are let down in reality. The budget has given little assurance to migrant workers and the unemployed.

Sixty-two days of protest and 170 deaths so far—this is a colossal price that farmers have paid to sustain their relentless protest against the Centre’s farm laws ever since they arrived at the gates of Delhi.

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing the first ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio programme of the year on Sunday, did not tell the truth to the nation instead blamed the farmers of dishonouring the national flag on Republic Day. The fact is otherwise. The fact of the matter is the tricolour, the pride of the nation, was dishonoured by some unruly elements including pro-BJP men on that fateful day.

The BJP probably thought that the Republic Day mayhem by groups of rowdy and irresponsible farmers in the national capital marked the end of their two-month-long agitation against the three farm laws. The party must have been heartened, therefore, when some of the farmers started leaving their protest sites to return home. To hasten their departure, the electricity and water connections were switched off.

With large fiscal deficit admitted, the Indian economy showing contraction for the third time in our recent history, uncertain future as the pandemic is still active, a vaccination programme just launched, it looks this is the best bargain of a budget that the country could have looked for.

Union Budget 2021-22 is hard on lives and livelihoods since the healthcare system that saves lives, and MSMEs that provide livelihoods are once again unfairly dealt. Both the sectors actually got a little, however, it was claimed that budget outlay for health and wellbeing sectors were increased by 137 per cent to 2.23 lakh crore for 2021-22 as against 94.45 thousand crore in 2020-21 fiscal.

Fatorda, Goa: A revitalised Marcelinho and talisman Roy Krishna inspired Mohun Bagan to a thrilling 3-2 comeback victory against Kerala Blasters in the Hero Indian Super League on Sunday.

Bambolim, Goa: With the Hero Indian Super League season well into the business end, most teams are firming up plans to secure a top-four spot. However, for Odisha coach Stuart Baxter, this looks a distant dream.