Budget 2025: Nirmala Sitharaman Chairs Pre-Budget Meeting With Export, Trade Industry Experts
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is scheduled to present the Budget for fiscal 2026 in the Parliament on Feb. 1, 2025.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday chaired the fourth pre-budget consultation with key stakeholders and experts from the export, trade, and industry sectors in New Delhi. The discussion focused on gathering insights and suggestions for the upcoming Union Budget 2025-26.
Sitharaman is scheduled to present the Budget for fiscal 2026 in the Parliament on Feb. 1, 2025.
The meeting was also attended by Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary, Finance Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Department of Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth, and Chief Economic Adviser Anantha V Nageswaran.
Earlier on Dec. 24, Sitharaman along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi met eminent economists and sectoral experts to elicit their views and suggestions for the upcoming Budget.
Apart from Sitharaman, Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Suman Bery, Niti Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam, Chief Economic Advisor Anantha Nageswaran and eminent economists, including Surjit Bhalla, DK Joshi were also part of the meeting.
In an official statement, the prime minister said Viksit Bharat can be achieved through a fundamental change in mindset, with the focus of making India developed by 2047.
The participants shared their perspectives on several issues, including ways in dealing with problems posed by global economic uncertainties and geopolitical tensions, strategies to improve employment rates especially with young.
The pre-budget consultations comes in the backdrop of muted corporate earnings growth, and a slump in the pace of India's gross domestic production expansion. The GDP growth slowed to 5.4% in the September quarter—the lowest in nearly two years.
