India unveiled a fire-fighting budget yesterday that seeks to win back support among rural voters for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government and sustain growth against a grim global backdrop – all without borrowing more. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's third budget marked a strategic shift by addressing rural distress in a country of 1.3 billion, where two-fifths of families rely on farming and are reeling from two years of drought. At the same time it hiked public investment in India's woeful infrastructure by 22.5 per cent, while taking further steps to revive corporate investment that Modi needs to create new jobs for India's burgeoning workforce. "We have a shared responsibility to spend prudently and wisely for the people, especially for the poor and downtrodden," the 63-year-old finance minister told lawmakers in his 100-minute address. India holds several state elections this year, including in the farming state of West Bengal, with the country's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, going to the polls in 2017. A strong showing will be vital to Modi's chances of a second term. Despite commanding a large majority in Parliament's lower house, Modi's government has failed...
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