THE government's economic performance so far remains dismal, though there are reports that it plans to push the economic engine with renewed vigour in the coming days. At present inflation is breaking all records, with the rupee dipping to unprecedented lows against the dollar. To begin with, the government should make concerted efforts to bring down the budget deficit, for that is where the trouble starts. The current deficit, standing at a staggering Rs 777.7 billion, only shows its failure to meet the deficit target set at 4.2 percent. Another area in need of urgent reform is that of revenue collection. The government should ensure that its decision to tax heavily the import of non-essential and luxury items is strictly implemented and no exception is made, and should also seek to raise exports. It bears repeating that our export industrial units should have state-of-the-art machinery. A great deal has been done in the context of textile manufacturing units but a lot more needs to be done. Efforts on war footing are required to lighten up this bleak scenario.