’Price cut for essentials would have helped common people’

Name: S. Sakthivel

Profession: Autorickshaw driver

No. of family members: 3

Annual income: ₹4.5 lakh

S. Sakthivel, a native of Kancheepuram, said common people like him needed a reduction in the Goods and Services Tax (GST), as it added to their daily financial burden. He was disappointed that the Budget did not include any announcement on fuel subsidies, as a significant portion of his earnings was being spent on diesel. Given how much the people contributed through GST, he questioned what they received in return.

“The cost of living has soared in the last decade. My income is no longer enough to keep up with it. The price of rice alone has risen by at least ₹400 for 25 kg,” he said. To cope with rising expenditure on basic necessities such as food, fuel, and his child’s education, he has drastically cut back on spending for entertainment and leisure.

“Earlier, we used to go out occasionally, but now, we can’t afford it,” he said, and urged the Union government to introduce more welfare schemes for the poor to ease the financial strain on families like his, besides reducing the price of essentials.