For the western countries, ‘reforms’ generally mean greater, easier access to the Indian market, which is the fastest growing among the big economies currently. When their own economies are either in recession or barely recovering, the western countries are desperately looking for markets abroad to generate growth. The annual budget which was unveiled yesterday is unlikely to generate enthusiasm on that score. Yet, the surprising part is that there is an appreciable degree of understanding in the western media about the compulsions working on the Indian government – in political and economic terms. (here, here and here).