Budget 2018: Note ban, GST raise hopes of radical steps by FM Arun Jaitley

The upcoming Budget 2018, which Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will present on February 1, is expected to be more significant than other recent ones, especially as it is coming after a year full of radical reforms by the Narendra Modi government such as demonetization of high-value currency notes, implementation of the goods and services tax (GST) and a new bankruptcy regime.

The year 2017 ended on a high with gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the July-September quarter standing at 6.3%, indicating the significant impact of the two structural reforms — GST and demonetisation — is now behind us and, hopefully we could expect an upward growth in 2018.

I am hopeful that this year, too, there will be a thrust on skill enhancement to aid job creation. This would us leverage our demographic dividend more effectively.