The upcoming Budget will have to account for the social costs of a year-long pandemic. Rising inequality has always been a challenge in India but the pandemic's effect has been sharp--jobs have been lost, informal and formal networks splintered, careers have been set back by years, new graduates face an uncertain employment market and education has taken a hit. What is the way forward and how can the Budget address this? Joining our moderator Mitali Mukherjee for this conversation are Manish Sabharwal (Chairman & Co-Founder of Teamlease Services Ltd), Dr. Jyotsna Jha (Director, Centre for Budget and Policy Studies, Bengaluru), Rosa Abraham (Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Sustainable Employment, Azim Premji University), and Ashutosh Gupta (India Country Manager, LinkedIn).