The Union Budget is being presented today – a Sunday – after a year in which the Modi government has enfeebled the world's biggest rural employment jobs guarantee. Many feel that this announcement will be the first test of whether the government is willing – or able – to back its claims of an alternative employment guarantee. Speaking of employment, India battles a remarkable lack of jobs and an over-reliance on the gig economy. All of this puts the focus on the frightening levels of inequality facing the country now. The rupee, meanwhile, is at its lowest – not just against the dollar but against several other currencies.

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