Syed Khurshid paid little attention to the budget. “I didn't even try to watch a news channel,” says the 72-year-old. “You don't know how much of it is true and how much is propaganda.”
He has heard about the changes in tax slabs in the current budget because someone had mentioned it in passing. “But I don't know of a single person in my mohalla who will benefit from it,” he says with a laugh. “ Hum apna kamate hai aur khate hai [I only work to earn a living].”
Syed has been a tailor in Gangakhed town in Maharashtra's Parbhani district for over 60 years now. He was only eight years old when he learnt the craft from his father. His business, however, is not as profitable as it used to be. “Younger generations opt for readymade clothes,” he explains.
Of his six children – 4 sons and 2 daughters – only a son works with him in the tailoring shop while the others take up contractual work locally. His daughters are married and are homemakers
Working out of a one room set-up, Syed earns about Rs. 20,000 a month after paying a couple of labourers who work for him. “Thankfully my father bought this shop so I don't have to pay rent. Otherwise the earnings would not have been even that.” “I haven't studied much, so I can’t read well,” he adds, without taking his eyes off the cloth he is meticulously stitching.
The government claims to have focussed on low-income earners in the budget, “but it only ends up benefiting a certain class of people,” says Syed. “Workers like us hardly get anything.”
