In the spades of coverage that the FM’s rural focus in the Union Budget got, a significant aspect was almost entirely un-commented on, with one exception. Who was much of this rural spending going to be channeled through? It took an economist-turned-journalist-turned finance minister to point out that the Rs 2.87 lakh crore as grant in aid to panchayats and municipalities meant a fiscal devolution of almost 15 per cent of the Union Budget to panchayats. An unprecedented empowerment step. This was former J &K fin-min Haseeb Drabu in Mint.