'Wish prices were kept low for the common man'

For Ashok Upadhyay, a taxi driver from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, who makes his living in Mumbai, there are concerns more pressing than the Budget. Namely, he says, prices for even basic commodities have skyrocketed in recent years.

"Common people like me will understand and appreciate the Budget if we can see something concrete -- like a fall in  prices. But everything has just become more expensive. Then why would we care about the Budget?"

Fellow taxi driver Sanjay Tiwari, also from Varanasi, agrees. "I drive my taxi from 7 am until late at night. I have no time to watch the television or read the paper to learn about these Budget issues. I just wish prices could be kept low for the common man."

When told that Rs 3 per kg of rice or wheat (up to 25 kgs) will be given to families below the poverty line, he snorts with derision. "Who will benefit from this policy?" Tiwari asks rhetorically. "Some corrupt, wealthy person," he says, answering his own question.