India’s Modi to bet on popularity over populism in budget ahead of polls

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to buck a trend of spending big on new welfare programmes in a budget before a general election to instead focus on infrastructure to keep the economy humming while narrowing the budget gap. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will announce the budget for 2024/25 on Feb. 1, which economists say will be heavy on political messaging, drumming up the Modi government's pitch of inclusive growth, but conservative in its approach to spending.