For India’s budget, a tightrope walk between jobs and gov’t deficit

Inflation in India reached a 14-month high recently, stressing budgets of a majority of households [File: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters]

Mumbai, India – Prema Salgaonkar wakes up hours before dawn and begins to cook food in her suburban Mumbai home to sell. Her son, Amar returns from work only when the sun is well above and she is done making her nearly 100 vegetable-stuffed parathas.

Salgaonkar lost her job at a nonprofit nearly a year ago and her son Amar, 35, lost his job selling mobile phones and data plans six months ago. With no retailers hiring, he eventually took up temporary work, travelling nights on transport trucks, helping drivers negotiate with police and other officials.