NEW DELHI: The presentation of the general budget on 10 July morning by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will perhaps be the most keenly watched analysis of the financial shape of the nation since the early 90s when the then Finance Minister Manmohan Singh presented his budget.
This is also perhaps the first time in recent years that the budget is being presented by a man from the legal profession.
Although only Lok Sabha TV has the permission to cover the budget live from inside the portals of Lok Sabha, almost every channel in the country – and certainly every business channel – will be taking the beam from Lok Sabha TV and then adding its own analysis programmes.
CNBC TV18, Doordarshan News, Times Now, and most other News channels plan to commence the discussion on the budget from around 8.00 am with experts talking about expectations, and then beaming the live presentation from 11.00 am onwards.
The entry of websites like moneycontrol.com and economylead.com streaming the budget and by social media will be an added feature this year, as many websites have already announced plans in this regard.
With the new dispensation in place, the aspirations of the common man are soaring high and many are wondering whether the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party will live up to its slogan of ‘Acche din aaney waley hain.’
The presentation is expected to be followed soon after by the reaction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Doordarshan and Lok Sabha TV and an exhaustive interview of Jaitley about his budget on Doordarshan.
In addition, channels will cover live the press meet by senior Finance Ministry officials in the afternoon about the various facets of the budget.
The coverage on CNBC TV18 will be led by Shereen Bhan, on Times Now by Arnab Goswami, and on NDTV 24x7 by Prannoy Roy. Times Now has articulated its standpoint by saying ‘Everyone deserves a piece of this super budget. Get Yours.’ The channel though also warns that it may be a bitter pill.
Other channels like CNN-IBN, Aaj Tak, ABP News, Sahara Samay, P-7, News X and others have also lined up experts who will analyse the budget. The channels will also have teams that will go to Parliament House premises to get the reactions of various political leaders.
For the business channels, it will be a particularly exhaustive day as they will also have a link with the National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange to get the latest ups and downs.
Zee Business which is a Hindi business News channel will telecast the pre-Budget discussions and analysis from 7.00 am onwards and will bring in live and uninterrupted coverage of the Budget Speech. The channel will articulate, analyse and keep the common man abreast of all the impacts that Budget is going to have on their daily lives.
Interestingly themed as the ‘Abki baar, sapne sakaar,’ Zee Business will have expert panels, business leaders and corporate captains throughout the day to give their expert advice. After the Finance Minister’s speech, Zee Business will undertake a series of power packed Budget Bulletins. Some of these bulletins will comprise high power panel discussions and will involve expert comments from the nation's top business leaders and policy makers. Some of the key Ministers holding important portfolios have already appeared and shared their views, and will also do so during post-Budget analysis programmes. They include Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy Minister Piyush Goyal, Information & Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar and Commerce & Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Special shows have been conceptualised with thorough research from the industry point of view without losing the ground reality and its impact on the common man. Expert opinions, industry perspective viz–a–viz market reaction and informative bulletins will be telecast.
Zee Business will also organise a viewer’s engagement programme throughout the day from different parts of the country where commoners get a voice to air their reaction and feedback on the pertinent issues on budget.
Zee Media CEO Samir Ahluwalia said, “With clear understanding of the expectations of the India Inc. as well as indications of the common man, Zee Business is poised to present a comprehensive Budget coverage. Through special programming and initiatives focusing on budget expectations, analysis and impact, Zee Business will once again ensure specialised coverage on Budget Day.”
Added CNBC-TV18 managing editor Shereen Bhan, “The key question we will be asking is if the budget will be able to deliver. There will be a sharp focus on market reactions, the stance taken by other countries giving India a thumbs up and about investment in domestic capital. We will analyse the long term and short term ideas the government has as well as the reforms that will be taken up to revive the economy.”
