The government is trying to boost domestic demand among its vast middle class as food inflation dents disposable income.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday invoked the Hindu goddess of wealth to elevate India’s poor and the middle class, a possible sign the government may introduce measures to lift sagging consumption in the budget due the next day.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has presented an annual budget that focuses on wooing the salaried middle class with tax cuts and spurring economic growth by boosting agriculture and