IGI Logo

One area where a majority of Indians approved of the Budget was its efforts to improve financial inclusion, infrastructure and further relief for the small-scale sector, which has been hit hardest by the Covid pandemic and its aftermath.

Respondents to the IANS-CVoter Post Budget survey were asked what they thought of the Budget decision to integrate all post offices and their savings bank and other accounts with the banking system of the country.

As many as 56.5 per cent of the respondents think it is a very good idea while another 42.9 per cent say it is a good decision though more needs to be done.

The response was uniformly favourable across all income categories. Similarly, when asked their opinion on the decision by the Budget to invest in building 90 lakh new houses under the PM Awas Yojana, 56.8 per cent of the respondents felt that it was a very good decision, while another 31.2 per cent felt it was a good idea though more needed to be done.

Appreciation of the continued emphasis on infrastructure development was also reflected in the responses given by a majority of Indians. When asked about their opinion on the Budget decision to invest Rs 20,000 crore in the coming year on highway expansion and to further launch 400 new Vande Bharat trains, 56.4 per cent of the respondents felt it was a very good decision while 30.7 per cent said it was a good decision though more needed to be done. The appreciation was spread consistently across all income groups.

The approval dropped slightly when the respondents were asked about the Budget decision to extend reliefs to the MSME sector till March 2023. While 36.5 per cent said it was a very good decision, 34.5 per cent said it was a good decision though more needed to be done. Overall, 71 per cent of the respondents have reacted favourably to the decision.