Budget 2016: Here's what public expects from FM Jaitley

On Monday, in his Union Budget 2016-17 statement, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will reveal if the credit-positive five-year trend of narrowing budget deficits - from 6.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) in fiscal 2010 to 4.1% in 2014-15 - will continue. He will reveal whether the government was on track to reduce the deficit to 3.9% of GDP this fiscal year.

Three days ahead of the Budget announcements, Press Information Bureau (PIB), on Friday evening used a social media platform to gauge what the public expected from the Budget and brought in a panel of three experts to answer their questions. 

Think tank NITI Aayog, which provides policy support to the Centre and the states, will interact directly with citizens on the Union Budget day too.

"In a first of its kind, one-on-one interaction with the public on the Union Budget, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman, and noted economist, Arvind Panagariya, and NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant will host Google Hangouts, for two consecutive days, in collaboration with MyGov," a NITI Aayog press release said.

Here are few tweets which show portrays some expectations people have from the budget 2016:

General public should b encouraged 2 invest in equities either directly or thru MF STCG shud b brought down.STT shud b scrapped. #BudgetChat

— Shri Ram (@ramakrishna_ngp) February 26, 2016

As various taxes slapped on in an unconventional manner… how one can expect "tax reduction" from this conventional budget?#BudgetChat

— மகிழ்வரசு ThePatriot (@Anandraaj04) February 26, 2016

@nrbmurthy73 Can we expect change in income tax slab for employees and change in medical limit from current 15k ? #BudgetChat

— Rajeev Kumar (@LatherRajeev) February 26, 2016

#BudgetChat : Section 80C and 24 needs a revision. Section 24 will directly act as lever to move the economy !

— Punit (@Punit25jain) February 26, 2016

#BudgetChat Some clarity on provisions such as 3 year income tax benefit expected https://t.co/2CnwOqBoBw

— shishirs (@shishirs2) February 26, 2016

Will there be an increase in government expenditure on research and development?? #BudgetChat

— Sudhanshu Raj Singh (@mast_manav) February 26, 2016

@PIB_India @FinMinIndia @jayantsinha @arunjaitley what about setting of 4 new IIT's which were declared on previous budget?? #BudgetChat

— Saptarshi Dutta (@ssaptarshidutta) February 25, 2016

Will be there any action on wilful defaulters to check the rise in NPA's. ways and means to recover the amt shud be looked into. #BudgetChat

— Shri Ram (@ramakrishna_ngp) February 26, 2016

Keeping fiscal deficit low is very good to lower it #BudgetChat https://t.co/mWRco9qdrx

— Subhomoy (@subhomoyb) February 26, 2016