India has promised to spend more in the upcoming financial year to keep the engines of its economy running but with no direct handouts for the millions of poor.
On Tuesday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman outlined plans to spend 39.45 trillion rupees ($529.7bn) for the coming fiscal year that starts on April 1, up from 37.7 trillion rupees ($515.5bn) a year ago, where she promised to step up investments in building highways and railways but did not offer any direct giveaways for the poor or the middle class to spur consumption.
