Finance Minister Sitharaman consults stakeholders from 25 states in pre-Budget meeting

Ahead of the upcoming Budget session of the parliament, where the Finance Ministry will propose the Centre's budget for the coming financial year 2022-23, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, on Sunday, January 16, held a pre-budget stakeholder consultation with BJP representatives from various states and different commercial backgrounds and economic classes to consider their views and opinions.

Sitharaman had held a dialogue with the representatives from 25 states, including Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Ladakh; the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Telangana; and people from North-eastern states including Mizoram and Tripura. Representatives from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Orissa were also among those who pitched their ideas.

Senior leaders of various states were also present in the meeting, including party heads of various state units. Leaders from think tanks and Morcha presidents also opined on the same. As per an ANI report, 20 written applications have been submitted to the Finance Minister to consider requests ahead of the rollout of the Union budget.

Union Budget 2022

The Budget Session of Parliament will commence on January 31. According to the official announcement, the 2022 Budget Session will go on till February 11. The Union budget will be presented on February 01 by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

The 2022 Budget will be the fourth Union Budget of the Modi 2.0 government and Finance Minister Sitharaman. The Budget would come against the backdrop of gradual recovery taking place in the Indian economy hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The growth this fiscal year is expected to be in double-digits. The RBI in its latest bi-monthly monetary policy review pegged a GDP growth of 9.5% in 2021-22. The government has projected a fiscal deficit of 6.8% of the gross domestic product (GDP). 

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has already held meetings with stakeholders of industries, financial sectors players, labour unions, agriculturists, and leading economists during which suggestions were made about the rationalisation of income tax slabs, infrastructure status for digital services, and incentives to hydrogen storage. Eight such meetings were held between December 15 and December 22, as per the Finance Ministry's statement. issued in December.

(With inputs from ANI, Image: PTI)