With the likes of Dr Singh and Mr Chidambaram at the helm of affairs it was only logical and expected that the Union Budget would address regional aspirations and national concerns!It has been a damper on both the fronts.Not a word about modernisation of the police forces to deal with naxal menace and terrorism which are fast looming as major threats to the Indian state.No focus on the socio-economic development of backward regions.A case in point is the state of Orissa.It has virtually been ignored.No IITs or national level universities for this state,no major new trains,no world class railway stations for Bhubaneswar,Cuttack or Rourkela.It is probably unreasonable to expect more with a \'visionary\'(whose vision unfortunately does not go beyond the bounds of his home constituency) for a railway minister and a non Congress government at Bhubaneswar.I feel let down!The entire exercise reads more like a cluster budget for specified states than for the nation as a whole.It is high time we reacted as a nation to the parochial missives of our elected representatives at the Centre.Maybe such acts in the past have contributed in no mean way to the social mess India is in today.I am not a pessimist,please remember!