#DecodingBudget: Jaitley used "farmers" 30 times, "youth" just thrice
People talk more about things that matter deeply. If we were to say the same about FM Arun Jaitley's 2018 Budget speech, it might just hint at the priorities of the government. The word 'farmer' appeared 30 times in his 17,991-word speech, reported India Today. However, he also used 'tax' 116 times. Is there more to Jaitley's word usage than meets the eye?
"Farmers," a major winner of Budget-2018, appeared more than ever
This time, there were many sops for farmers, India's largest voter base. The word also appeared more than in Jaitley's previous Budgets: 15 in 2014, seven in 2015, 29 in 2016 and 23 in 2017. Focus on "poor" also seems to have increased: from four in 2014, 13 in 2015, 10 in 2016 and 15 in 2017, it was used 21 times this year.
But "youth" and "women" remained below expectations
In contrast, "youth" wasn't in the limelight this time with the word being used only thrice; the last four years, it appeared roughly nine times every year. Though "women" increased in frequency (from 11, 6, 6 and 12), the word still appeared just 13 times.
Focus on "health" as Jaitley announced "world's largest govt-funded program"
This time, Jaitley announced the "world's largest government-funded program" - the National Health Protection Scheme - which will provide medical coverage for 10cr families. Unsurprisingly, the word "health" appeared a whopping 39 times, more than the 11 in 2014, 12 in 2015, 14 in 2016 and just eight in 2017. Despite this, "education" (43) and "infrastructure" (65) were used many more times than "health."
Increasing focus on Digital India
Implying a growing focus on Digital India, use of the word "digital" has increased in the last two budgets. In 2014 and 2015, it was used five times each, and eight in 2016. The next year, its usage jumped to 16, and 12 this time.
Decreasing use of 'jobs' in Jaitley's Budget speeches
Jaitley also talked about key areas of attention to develop the "economy," which appeared 21 times; in the last Budget, it was used 36 times, the highest for Jaitley. But apparently, "jobs," or employment, lacks the attention it should get: the use of the word has been decreasing from 10 (2014), 14 (2015) and 10 (2016) to only six in the last two Budgets.
"Tax" was used the most times in five years
Meanwhile, the use of the word "tax" increased sharply. It appeared as many as 116 times, compared to last year's 80. Interestingly, Jaitley used PM Narendra Modi's name 14 times in his 2018 Budget speech.
