BAFFLED BY NUMBERS Hot on the heels of the finance minister presenting his government’s Appropriation Bill for 2022 in parliament on 6 October came the announcement of a spate of substantial price hikes on a number of essential items (including gas, wheat flour, a packet of rice and curry, and even milk tea), which had people and their social media circles mourning not only the loss of what’s left of their earnings but preparing to tighten their belts even further when the 2022 budget proposals are unveiled on 12 November. Indeed, the fiscal noose has been pulling in this direction for some time as a cash-strapped nation grapples with multiple crises as a result of the fallout from the pandemic, a monumental forex crunch, a mounting debt burden and more. And while this reality sinks in, the government’s proposed budget allocations are likely to raise eyebrows – as once again, despite the absence of war (although 4/21 did teach us a lesson or two about letting our guard down), defence is by far the main beneficiary with an allocation of Rs. 373 billion (an increase of 5% over 2021, which accounts for as much as 15% of the 2.5 trillion rupees total projected expenditure for fiscal year 2022). In stark contrast, the proposed spending on health has been pruned by three percent to a mere Rs. 153 billion – at a time when an unprecedented pandemic has wreaked havoc on the healthcare system! And then there’s education – or the lack of it, thanks to the virus induced shutdowns. While its allocation remains largely unchanged, one wonders whether 127 billion rupees does justice to our schoolchildren’s post-pandemic needs. At the end of the day however, the people will have no choice but to accept the inevitable while waste and corruption continue to permeate just about every facet of the nation’s modus operandi.