We will know by May if the series gets renewed for next season with the same star cast or not but finale episode was indeed very satisfying with clear indications of what new plot ideas will develop in future episodes (i.e Green energy, Innovation, Manufacturing & Healthcare).
Overall, the budget kept continuity in every plot point without any significant twists. Main characters gave a powerful performance i.e. Controlled fiscal deficit, lower government borrowing, healthy tax collections (especially notable). Happy to see the female cast getting its due.
Increasing female participation in labour from 23% to 37% over past 5 years and higher female enrolment in education as well as STEM courses (48%) were indeed very encouraging.
What got us excited was the development of some new plot points which we feel can completely elevate the future season’s profile and bring in more users (aka domestic and foreign investors).Constant focus by government on reducing energy bill, increasing technology transformation, participation in value accretive manufacturing stages than just assembly work were visible in the budget commentary and showed the forward-looking government mindset.1) Rs. 1 Trillion innovator’s fund is a promising start for development of technology in sunrise sectors. Cutting edge technology development in clean tech, semiconductors, electric vehicles can be game changers for the economy and is a welcome change from the usual populist budgets of the past.Deep tech defence technology development is another welcome move. After showing prowess in space, low-cost yet high-on-technology defence equipment will be crucial in reducing our defence bill amidst heightened geopolitical tensions.
2) Green Energy theme was evident in the budget with several announcements in this matter to ensure energy security in the future.
a) Clean energy got a healthy boost with an announcement of Rs 10,000 crore for roof top solar. Modalities are yet to be rolled out which could be subsidy for home installations and nudging households towards green energy. Good move for furthering nation’s renewable energy capacity.
b) Stress on EV adoption via e-buses and strengthening of electric charging infrastructure.
c) Viability gap funding for 1GW of wind energy, coal gasification and liquefication to reduce natural gas import dependence
3) A 130 percent higher allocation to development of semi-conductor & display manufacturing ecosystem taking the allocation to Rs 6,903 crore was noteworthy.
We expect more outdoor shoots as new tourist locations get developed including Indian Islands in the future with focus on port connectivity, tourism infrastructure, and amenities to be taken up including Lakshadweep.
Overall season ended on a high and we are eagerly waiting for the next season which will most probably come with a tagline “Viksit Bharat – 2047”.
(The author, Nidhi Chawla, is the Director-Private Equity of Kotak Alternate Asset Managers Limited. The views and opinion expressed in the column are personal and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the organisation or the Kotak group)
(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views, and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of the Economic Times)
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