The funny side of the Annual Budget

Budget making is a serious exercise, it operose when the exercise relates to the government of one-sixth of the humanity. Adding on to this voluminous package, the modern electronic media has ensured that is reviewed by so called analyst, news readers, economist, businessmen, lay man and any other man the agencies can lay their hands upon. Just for the sake of the common man to understand that he has to pay his taxes, directly or indirectly, to fund his government’s expenditure on him. A business of real serious nature, giving someone the part of your money to spend it on you in a manner they like.
But sometimes the budget, the Finance Minister’s speech and the provisions, contains something that might tickle the funny bone. It might be his pronunciation of ‘verb’ as’ bharb’ (commonly done by the Bengalis, even my mother spell it like this only) or some liability which is in existence for more than 60 years now. Seems like a case tethered in Indian Judiciary, well not like that, but it is the debt of Rs. 300 cr. owed by Pakistan towards India as pre-partition debt.
The particular piece appeared in www.expressindia.com, which states that this liability is being carried forward since independent India’s first budget. More interesting thing is that India has met her liability of Rs. 50 cr. to Pakistan, but the good neighbor still owes this money. It may also be added that no interest is being charged on this amount and the amount has also not being inflation adjusted.
Well no body knows or shall come to know how many F-16 (or J-10 if you like Chinese) fighter Pakistanis might have bought out of this money. And for India, if it considers as a big superpower can’t just write the amount off, just as a show of generosity.

© Tarun Mitra

Reference
The data is based on the article appeared on www.expressindia.com (http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Past-receipts-Pakistan-still-owes-India-Rs-300-crore/485726/)