MUMBAI: With the budget approaching, news channels are all geared to unveil their budget programming. Headlines Today has plans to provide comprehensive coverage and analysis of the Union Budget and the Union Rail Budget.
The budget special, aptly christened Chidambaram's Quest, would be a 30 minutes programme aired at 8:30 pm from 5-7 July with a repeat telecast at 11:30 pm.
The special, claims an official release, would lay threadbare Chidambaram's efforts of drawing a budget that is acceptable to all.
The whole country is currently abuzz with budgets likely impact on the various industries, the economy and the masses at large. Will Chidambaram be able to draw a balance between the Capitalist and the Leftist views? Will Chidambaram succeed in winning the masses? Headlines Today's special programming aims to provide answers to these questions.
The India Today's English news arm has roped in veteran
economist, columnist and business anchor Onkar Goswami to anchor the budget special. He would be assisted by economists like Indira Rajaraman and Bibek Debroy, apart from India Today journalists Rohit Saran and Shankar Aiyer, who will dwell on various aspects of the forthcoming budget, says the release.
The focus of the budget special would be:
* 5 July - The state of the economy

* 6 July - Making of the budget

* 7 July - Expectations from the budget
Apart from the budget special the regular news bulletins will also focus on various key factors pertaining to the budget. The complete programming on the Budget day (8 July) would focus on the budget, and would include live telecast of the same from the Parliament apart from views and analysis of various industry leaders on the implications of the budget.
For the Railway Budget on 6 July, Headlines Today will air a railway special through the day christened Laloo's Budget. The complete programming on this day would be devoted to the railway budget and will closely monitor its implication on the various states and the industry apart from its implications on the general masses, claims the release.
However, the news channel will only dwell on the key points relevant to its target audience.
Speaking on the various initiatives TV Today network's spokesperson Rajesh Sheshadri was quoted in the release as saying, "Headlines Today caters to a predominantly urban audience. The focus of the whole programming would thus be on the implications of the budget on the lives of these viewers. Though concise, the coverage will provides a true and complete picture."