Prices are high, jobs are scarce and all eyes are on Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
The Budget session begins Friday. President Droupadi Murmu is to address both Houses of Parliament. Then, Sitharaman is to table the Economic Survey in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
But millions of Indians will really be waiting for Saturday morning, when Sitharaman presents the Union Budget 2025 at 11am
Will she bring relief, or will the middle class have to tighten its belt even more? As economists crunch numbers, The Telegraph Online speaks to four astrologers.
Because if anyone can help, it’s the stars.
Less you expect, less the disappointment
“2025 means 9 as per astrology which is a number of Mangal Dev [Mars] which also translates to place and land and hence for the middle class there are possibilities that they might get credits or loans with reduced interest rates,” said Ramkishor Acharya, 38, an astrologer from Jhargram in Bengal who has been in the field for the last 10 years.
According to him, the middle class might see some relief
“There could be positive changes in income-tax rules as well,” he predicts.
Not all his peers agreed.
Kaushik Chakraborty, 44, from Shyamnagar, who has been in the business of reading what the stars foretell for the last 17 years, had a different prediction.
“For middle-class people, whatever I have seen and noticed from December, I can state the Budget will not be good for them. Even if it comes, there will not be any solution which they will be able to find.”
He had a rather cryptic addition: “One more thing, middle-class people can't always go for their favourite things. So, in order to get it right, they have to change their mind or thinking.”
You may interpret that as ‘don’t expect anything good’. Sigh.
What about small businesses?
“Like Jupiter, they must put their mind to work and should move forward,” Chakraborty said. “As per my prediction the Budget will not be good for small businesses. Owing to the internet and buying things from the comfort of homes, small-business owners are largely getting affected and this will continue till October as I can see because of the movements of Saturn. As per my astrology, the middle-class group running small businesses will be able to run their businesses but they would not get better profits or betterment.”
Souvvik Ghosh, an astrologer from North Kolkata who has a PhD, called 2025 a “year of economic crisis” where job losses and financial struggles might be common.
“The major planets which are responsible like Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, (Lunar nodes) Rahu, Ketu are all changing their rashis,” Ghosh informed.
“If you view it as a global economy, there is expected to be turbulence. Overall, this Budget will not be a very friendly Budget for the middle-class people and citizens who are struggling to live their life. There can also be a possibility of huge job losses besides business being down. This will happen from MNCs to small business firms,” he said.
Animesh Shastri, 62, an astrologer from Kasba in south Kolkata, had a more optimistic view.
“As per my predictions the purchasing power of the middle class people will increase this year as they will be able to manage their expenses besides gaining better education and working opportunities. The middle-class people will also get banking loans and help from the government. Small businesses and traders will also get a better market,” he predicted.
The year ahead for big business
“Like last year there were some issues being faced by big businesses when it came to establishing links, this year I believe it will be improved,” said Ramkishor Acharya.
“This year India’s economy will improve, with no quick highs or lows,” he said.
While small businesses may struggle, the stars seem to favour big corporations as pointed out by astrologers.
“For big businesses like Tata, Birla, Goenka for them the year will be favourable, because Brihashpati [Jupiter] is going well for them and it will continue in that direction till March 2026,” said Kaushik Chakraborty.
“According to Ambani’s rashi his shani will be in the house of meen (Pisces) which will work in his favour. Whatever Ambani has achieved till now is because of his Saturn. He will be in the eyes of Brihaspati till September,” Shastri said.
Ghosh warned that while these giants will gain, they might do so by “downsizing and cutting costs,” leading to job losses.
“The transition of planets impacts the macro and micro economy both and hence I see so many changes. I believe there will be less money in the public's hand. There will not be anything special in this Budget apart from some relief for the common people,” he added.
Nirmala Sitharaman: shift in perception?
“From March 2025, people will only speak positively about her,” predicted Shastri.
He believes Sitharaman will be credited for job creation and economic stability.
“From what I can see in Nirmala Sithraman’s stars I have seen that from 15th of March 2023 to 15th of November 2024 she has been criticised a lot. I see from 26th March, 2025, people in the country will only speak good about her as there will be more jobs,” he added
Kaushik Chakraborty also saw strong planetary support for her. However, he added: “She should also think about the middle class."
“Nirmala Sitharaman will surely be able to please the experts with her budget as her rashi is going good – Jupiter has a good eye on the house of Venus – hence people in her cabinet will listen and abide by her.
“Overall, the Indian economy will do well in 2027 as – Jupiter’s eye on Mars is good,” Chakraborty said.
Ghosh had a more cautious view: “Her year will be manageable, but there will be peer pressure from the Opposition.”