Description of the budget

The word ‘budget’ is derived from the French word, Bougette, which means a leather wallet or purse. Therefore, the term modern budget refers to a document that contains estimates of revenue and expenditure of a country, usually for one year.

Types of Budget
Budgets can be categorized based on the following principles:

(i) Combined time.
(ii) Number of budgets tabled in the legislature.
(iii) The overall finance budgets position is presented in the budget.
(iv) An approved policy on the takeover of revenue and expenditure in the budget.
(v) Division of receipts and expenses in the budget.

Based on these principles budgets can be:

(i) Annual budgets or long-term budgets.
(ii) One or more budgets.
(iii) Excess budgets, deficits or estimates.
(iv) Budget or revenue budget.
(v) Departmental budget or operating budget.

A brief description of the different types is as follows:

Annual or long-term budgets:
Generally, Government budgets are for one year, that is, for one year. In India, England and many other commonwealth countries the financial year starts on April 1 and ends on March 31, but in the U.S.A., Australia, Sweden and Italy the dates are 1st July and 30th June.
Some countries adopt a planned economic policy and meet the requirements for long-term planning, using a long-term budget, that is, preparing a budget for three years or more. Such a budget is a long-term plan rather than a long-term budget because what is offered is a financial plan over the years to fund the program.
These countries spread the use of program costs over many years. The legislature approves the plan and estimates its costs, but that does not equal the actual voting of all-time shares. Every year the national budget will include expenditure on a plan for that year to be approved by the legislature.

One or more budgets:
When the estimates of all Government functions are allocated to a single budget, it is known as a single budget. The advantage of a single budget is that it reflects the financpractisetion of the Government as a whole.
But if there are separate budget-related budgets passed by the legislature, it is called a mass budget. In India, we have two budgets — one for the railway line and one for the rest of the departments. The practise of having a separate train budget began in 1921. In England, there is one budget.

Extra income, deficit or limited budget:
A budget is a surplus if the estimated income exceeds the estimated cost/expense But if the expected revenue falls below the expected cost, it becomes a budget deficit. According to economists, a deficit budget is a sign of global development. A limited budget is when the expected revenue is equal to the expected cost/expense. Budgets are often in short supply.

Income or budget of income:
A budget is one in which the estimates of various items of income and expenditure include amounts to be acquired or used in one year.
In revenue and expenditure budgets, accumulated in one financial year, are planned for that financial year regardless of whether the revenue is available or expenses incurred in that financial year. In India, Britain and the U.S.A., counts are calculated, in France and other continents, counting income.

Departmental or operational budget:
The current practice is to have a departmental budget, that is, the revenue and expenses of one department are organized under it. It does not provide any information about the work or activity that has been budgeted for. The operating budget is another where the total cost of a particular project is compiled under the head of a specific program.
It is organized into activities, programs, activities and projects, for example, in the case of collaboration (employment), it will be divided into programs such as higher education, Secondary and Higher Education. Each program will be divided into activities, for example, teacher training is a task. The project is the final unit of division of labour.
It symbolizes work as a major project, such as the construction of a school building. The A.R.C. proposed the adoption of a budget for all the departments and agencies of the Central and provincial governments that have managed development programs.

Introduction

The first thirty years of the 19th century is termed as the period of the Romantic Revival in English literature. The Elizabethans were the first romantics. The romantic spirit suffered a decline during the subsequent ages and it was left to the writers, especially the poets of the early 19th century, to bring back that spirit once again to literature. The Romantic Revival is a broad term used to indicate the change that came over literary sensibility and expression during this period.

The Romantic Revival was a revlot against the neo-classical spirit. The classical mode had outlived its utility and a change was universally felt. The signs of revolt became evident when James Thompson published his ‘The Season’, a poem totally new in matter and manner. Collins and Gray enlarged the spirit of the movement in their odes and elegies. Burns, Crabbe and Cowper also contributed to the incipient revolt against the neo-classical traditions. Among the early romantics William Blake was the most revolutionary and his two publications ‘Songs of Innocence’ (1789) and ‘Songs of Experiences’ (1794) were landmarks in the evolution of the romantic spirit in English poetry. These poets are called ‘the transition poets’ because they represented a period just before the great romantics.

Impact on French Revolution

The ideas of the French Revolution such as liberty, equality, and franternity encouraged the growth of the romantic spirit. The literature and arts of ancient Greece and Rome and the writngs of philosophers like Rousseau also had an impact on the Romantic Revival. Victor Hugo defined romanticism as liberalism in literature. The roamntic outlook emphasised spontaneity of expression and encouraged man’s right to utter his thoughts without restrictions.

Romanticism in poetry

Romanticism is the expression of sharpened sensibilities and heightened imaginative feeling. It found solace in going back to the ancients both in mythology and history. It was also a return to nature. Romanticism was not only concerned with beauty and inner life but also it added strangeness to beauty. Other aspects of romanticisim are a subtle sense of mystery, an exuberant intellectual curiosity and instinct for the elemental simplicities of life. Thus the Romantic Revival brought back many of the characteristics of the Renaissance and the Reformation. The diginity and importance of man was recognised and the emotions and feelings of even the humblest human being were recognised as worthy of artistic and literary expression. The spirit of the Romantic Revival was best expressed in the poetry of the great romantics Wordsworth, Coleridge, Keats, Shelley, and Byron and in the novels of Walter Scott. Even the prose writings of Charles Lamb were coloured by romantic sentiments.

The Lyrical Ballads published by Wordsworth and Coleridge in 1798 inaugurated the romantic era. It is called the period of Romantic Revival because the glorious productions of the nineteenth century had a close kinship with those of the spacious age of Elizabeth. Unbridled imagination, the first joy of a new found power – the inevitable consequence of the Renaissance and Reformation characterised the Elizabethan and Caroline literature in the seventeenth century. But this spirit of imaginative enthusiasm was subjected to deep scrutiny and close criticism by the growing self-consciousness of the nation in the next age – the age of Pope and Johnson. During the eighteenth century, in society, in politics, in life and literature which is but a reflection of life, it stood for order, dignity, clarity and for a certain standard of grace and beauty of ‘correctness’ and decorum in expression, and for the smothering of all passions and emotions which came to be regarded as barbaric and genteel. Against this spirit the natural reaction was the second Romantic movement which was actually founded by William Blake and strengthened by William Wordsworth.

Victor Hugo describes romanticism as ‘liberalism in literature’. Wordsworth in his preface to the Lyrical Ballads boldly asserts “Those who have been accustomed to the guadiness and inane phraseology of modern writers, if they persist in reading this book to its conclusion will no doubt, frequently have to struggle with feelings of strangeness and awkwardness.”

Dr. Bhupen Hazarika was a genius person, a great human being, a legendary music maestro, lyricist, writer, composer, film director, and producer. He is popularly known as the “Bard of Brahmaputra”. Although he left for heavenly abode on  5 November 2011 in Mumbai at the age of 85, he is the heart of millions in the  world through his melodious songs as well as versatile activities. He was an erudite scholar  also as he won a scholarship from Columbia University, New York and completed his Ph.D. in Mass Communication. He completed his doctoral degree on thesis “Proposals for Preparing India’s Basic Education to use Audio-Visual Techniques in Adult Education’. And later on from Chicago University, USA, he received the Lisle Fellowship.    

  Born at Sadia, in upper Assam on 8 September 1926, Bhupen Hazarika was influenced by his father Nilakanta Hazarika (school teacher) and mother Shantipriya Hazarika in singing with high moral value and character.  The eldest of ten children, Bhupen Hazarika (as also his siblings) was exposed to music by his mother. At the age of 10 years, he sang a Borgeet (Assamese devotional songs) which greatly impressed Jyotiprasad Agarwala, the noted Assamese lyricist, playwright and Assamese filmmaker. And in 1936, Bhupen Hazarika recorded his first song at the age of 10 years at Aurora Studio in Kolkata then Calcutta.  Later on Hazarika sang two songs in Agarwala’s film Indramalati, at the age of 12 years. It is pertinent to mention that Indramalati (released in 1939)   is the second Assamese language film, directed by the great Assamese poet Jyotiprasad Agarwala.

   Dr.  Bhupen Hazarika completed his matriculation in 1940; Intermediate in Arts (IA) from Cotton College in 1942 and then joined Banaras Hindu University for higher study and subsequently completed his B.A. (1944) and M.A. (1946). And already mentioned he was awarded a Ph. D in 1952 from U.S.A.

    From his early life, he was against the caste system as initially people talked about his caste, but he simply ignored them. It has to be agreed that one cannot great by caste. Greatness is proved only activities. Dr. Hazarika was singer, lyricist, musician, poet and film-maker and popularly known as ‘Sudhakantha’. His songs, written mainly by himself, are marked by humanity and universal brotherhood. While I was in Bangladesh I observed he was popular among the local Bangladeshis for his Bengali songs.

    Dr. Bhupen Hazarika composed music in the renowned films directed by Kalpana Lajmi, inter alia of which are ‘Rudali’, ‘Daman’, ‘Darmiyaan’ and also MF Hussain’s directed ‘Gaja Gamini’.

 Dr. Hazarika directed seven Assamese films, one Bengali and one Hindi film and composed music for 31Assamese, 14 Hindi, 15 Bengali and some Karbi, Bodo and Mising films.  The first film directed by Dr. Bhupen Hazarika was Erabator Sur which was released in Calcutta in 1956. He also published books for the children viz., Bhupen  Mamar Geete-Mate, A, Aa, Ka, Kha and a transcript autobiography — Moi eti jajabor.  He was the architect to set up a film studio in Guwahati, the first full-fledged film studio in Assam.

       Dr. Hazarika’s activities were rightly recognized time to time by conferring various awards such as Dada Saheb Phalke, Sangeet Ratna, Padma Bhusan, Asam Ratna, Srimanta Sankardev etc. In 2019 conferring Bharat Ratna to him albeit posthumously even then a very factual decision as Dr. Bhupen Hazarika was a versatile person in all respects and without an inch of doubt the decision is praiseworthy. It is pertinent to mention that Assam Assembly had passed a resolution in 2010 urging the Centre to confer Bharat Ratna to him. 

Dr Shankar Chatterjee

Former Professor & Head (CPME),NIRD & PR ( Govt. of India), Hyderabad,  India
Former Associate Professor, EritreaFormer Assistant Prof, Govt. Degree College, Tripura, IndiaFormer Senior Planning Officer, Govt of Assam, India 

OVERVIEW :-

“Aatmanirbhar Bharat” as the name suggests is an Government of India and a vision of PM Narendra Modi to make India self-reliant in manufacturing and various other sectors.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, India had suffered a lot because many medical equipments like ventilators, surgical masks and sanitizers which are the main safety measures to control COVID-19 were not manufactured in India in appropriate numbers. In many hospitals, Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) was not manufactured and was transported from oxygen plants that are far away from hospitals.

After seeing this situation, Government of India and PM Modi decided to launch “Atmanirbhar Bharat” scheme on 12^th May 2020. At that time 20 lakh crore rupees were alloted for this which is equivalent to 10% GDP of India. The 3 packages that are given till now on 12^th May 2020, 12^th October 2020 and 12^th November 2020 for bringing Indian economy out of the COVID-19 pandemic were announced under the “Atmanirbhar Bharat” Abhiyan. This Abhiyan is now extended to almost all other major and MSME sector industries including Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Roads and Water Transport, Ministry of Airways, Ministry of Education, etc. The major announcements that are made under this Abhiyan are as follows :-

1. To improve the condition of hard hit State Governments due to COVID-19, borrowing limits of State Governments has been increased from initially 3% to now 5% of the Gross State GDP.
2. To reduce the working cost of Central Government, Privatisation of Public Sector Enterprises (PSEs) will be undertaken. Only certain strategic PSEs will continue to work under Central Government otherwise majority of other PSEs will now be Private owned.
3. MSMEs which are the backbone of our industrial sector will be provided collateral free loans of upto 3 lakh crore rupees. The Government will give the guarantee to banks and NBFCs for these loans on behalf of the MSMEs.
4. To initiate high quality production and empower the MSMEs, all the global tenders of under 200 crores will be disallowed and will be given to MSMEs of India.
5. An additional 2 lakh crore rupees fund will be made to provide institutional credit facilities at subsidised rates through Kisan Credit Cards.
6. A 1 lakh crore rupees Agri Infrastructure Fund will be made to improve and develop infrastructure required for agriculture such as building of new cold storages and modernisation of APMCs.
7. “One Nation One Card” scheme will help migrant labourers by allowing them to access the PDS (Ration) from any Ration shop across the country.
8. More than 80 crore people under the BPL scheme will additionally get 5kg of grains per person and 1kg of chana per family per month. This scheme is now extended upto Diwali 2021.
9. To improve the defence sector by bringing new technologies and working methods, FDI is increased from previously 49% to now 74%.
10. To promote Make in India Initiative under “Atmanirbhar Bharat” Abhiyan, a list of 108 certain weapons and artilleries including machine guns, tanks engine, radars, etc. will be made in India and import of these weapons and artilleries is completely banned.

About 3 months back, our cat gave birth to 4 adorable little munchkins. Especially, one of the 4, with a coffee brown colored fur, as soft as a cloud, big blue eyes and an adorable pink colored nose. It had caught my eyes and I was adamant on keeping him. But alas! We already had a dog and a male cat, both of whom were clearly not appreciating the recent addition to their family and so my mother decided that all of the kittens had to go. It had all happened about 1 month back.

And so the search began- the search for perfect loving safe house for the cats. And we found one. But the cats were 4. And so my mother let the adoptee decide who very happily picked my little kitty. But, I was adamant on not letting go. If I couldn’t keep him for myself, I will at least keep him with me for as long as possible, I decided. And so, I didn’t let him go at the first chance he got nor at second and third. Now, we aren’t meeting any more people who are willing to adopt a pet kitten and so he is still with us. All this had me thinking that a lot of times we do not let go the ones that we love

A BALANCED LIFESTYLE IS IMPORTANT:

Part of a comprehensive stress relief plan involves finding ways to calm down quickly so you can more effectively manage stress as it comes while avoiding the negative effects of chronic stress. Another important way to relieve stress is to maintain healthy lifestyle habits.

Learning to live a healthy lifestyle often brings additional benefits too, such as an endorphin rush, a release of frustration, or added longevity. Many of the healthy lifestyle habits discussed here can also help you to become less reactive to stress, in the long run, providing protection against stress you haven’t even experienced yet

While maintaining healthy habits is a bit more challenging than trying a stress relief method only once, the benefits you receive from maintaining a healthy lifestyle are more than worth the effort it takes to maintain it. The increases in health and wellness that you experience, as well as the reduction in stress, will make you wish you’d made these changes sooner, and can be wonderful sources of continued motivation.

CHANGES CAN BE INTIMIDATING: 

Many people feel intimidated or frustrated with making healthy lifestyle changes for a few reasons, including:

• Not knowing where to start: There are so many changes that can benefit health and wellness that it can be difficult to know how to begin.
• Doing too much at once: People often try to make too many changes at once, then find it too difficult (or let perfectionism sabotage their efforts) and give up the effort.
• Stress: Let’s face it—change is difficult, especially when you’re stressed. Sometimes lifestyle stress takes over and diminishes your momentum.

Given that living a healthy lifestyle can help with stress relief, and that making healthy lifestyle changes can be challenging, the following resources can help you with both choosing new goals for healthy living and with making these new goals a reality by adopting new healthy habits into your lifestyle.

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE CHOICES: 

Here are some changes you can make to lead a healthier, less stressed lifestyle:

• Healthy eating: One of the most popular changes people like to make to live a healthy lifestyle is to eat differently. Because of the negative health consequences of obesity, the influence fitness has on our self-esteem, and the effects on nutrition  on our stress levels and longevity, switching to a healthier diet brings some of the greatest benefits for wellness.
• Regular exercise: Getting regular exercise is another wonderful way to keep your weight in check, manage overall stress levels, and stay connected with others. Exercise can also help keep many health conditions at bay and is well worth the effort. The trick is to start gradually and work your way up.
• Quality sleep: People often underestimate the importance of getting enough sleep, and getting the right type. However, lack of adequate sleep has many negative consequences—they’re subtle but significant. Getting enough sleep isn’t one of the most popular changes that people resolve to make, but it should be. Because stress can rob you of sleep, and because many of the techniques that promote sleep can also reduce stress , it’s a very good idea to learn more about how stress affects sleep and how to get quality sleep when you’re stressed.

OTHER BENEFITS:

The great thing about moving is that just a few minutes a day can have other lasting benefits, many of which you may not even be aware of. Just some of the benefits include:

• Enhances self esteem
• Helps maintain flexibility as you age
• Improves joint stability
• Improves memory in elderly people
• Improves mood and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression
• Increases and improves range of motion
• Maintains bone mass
• Prevents osteoporosis and fractures
• Reduces stress
• Reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes

HOW TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHY DIET :

Eating a healthy diet is another part of a healthy lifestyle. Not only can a nutritious diet help with weight management , but it can also improve your health and quality of life as you get older.

You already know about the food groups and the fact that it is recommended that you eat more fruits and vegetables and fewer processed foods. You probably have a list of things you know you should do for a healthier diet but, again, making too many changes at once can backfire. Going on a restrictive diet may make you crave the very foods you’re trying to avoid.​

Another approach is to look for ways to make smaller changes each day.Just a few ideas for changing how you eat include:

• Cut back on sugary beverages. It’s easy to consume excess sugar and calories in the beverages that you drink. Sugary sodas, sweetened teas, juice drinks, and high-calorie coffee drinks can easily eat up your daily recommended allowance of added sugars. Consider drinking plain water or water flavored with fresh fruit or herbs. It’s a great way to stay hydrated and still get a burst of flavor.
• Eat low-fat or fat-free dairy. Switching to skim milk or fat-free yogurt is another simple way to eat fewer calories without having to change too much in your diet.
• Eat more fruits:Add it to your cereal, salads, dinners, or make it a dessert. The fruit is also a great snack after work or school to keep you going for dinner.
• Make some substitutions. Look through your cabinets or fridge and pick three foods you eat every day. Write down the nutritional content and, the next time you’re at the grocery store find lower-calorie substitutes for just those three items.
• Sneak in more veggies. Add them wherever you can—a tomato on your sandwich, peppers on your pizza, or extra veggies in your pasta sauce. Keep pre-cut, canned, or frozen veggies ready for quick snacks.
• Try a healthy salad dressing: If you eat full-fat dressing, switch to something lighter and you’ll automatically eat fewer calories. You can also put the dressing on the side and dip, or even try making your own dressing.

CONCLUSION:

Creating a healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to mean drastic changes. You may adapt to change better when it doesn’t require you to overhaul your entire life. Just pick one thing and work on that one thing every day, letting the rest of your life and habits stay the same. You may be surprised that those small changes really can make a difference.