Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram critiqued Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman s budget speech, describing it as "boastful claims" and accusing her of not addressing real issues like unemployment, inflation, and concerns of women and farmers. He pointed out the challenges faced by the economy and criticized the government s handling of various issues. Chidambaram highlighted the difference in average GDP growth rates between the UPA period and the NDA period.
V Anantha Nageswaran, Chief Economic Adviser, in the beginning of the report says that if FY25 turns out to be right, it will be the fourth year after the pandemic that the Indian economy will grow at or over 7 per cent.