Milind Deora urges Fin Min Sitharaman to visit Mumbai, consult businesses for Budget

Senior Mumbai Congress leader Milind Deora on Tuesday urged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to visit Mumbai and engage with the business community here for budgetary consultations. In a statement shared on Twitter, he said India's economic capital should be better engaged through a process of thorough consultations. Deora also expressed dismay over access to the Minister limited stakeholders have just in New Delhi.

The first full-year Union Budget of NDA-2 government is expected to be tabled in Parliament on February 1. Pre-budgetary consultations have been underway between industry leaders and senior officials of the Finance Ministry.

Noting the deepening crisis in the economy due to a fall in growth and investment levels, Milind Deora said, "By now, India's Finance Minister should have visited Mumbai to meet with representatives of traditional markets, MSMEs, industry captains and representatives from banking and finance."

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'Small traders having no say in policy'

The Congress leader also said that he has himself met and interacted with several traders, businessmen and foreign investors from among finance, manufacturing, services and traditional market such as cloth traders, street vendors and small jewellers. "They all feel that they have little or no say in policy formation," Deora claimed, adding, "So scute is the air of despondency that Mumbai is losing faith in India's most important economic exercise."

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Visit Mumbai, listen to stakeholders

Milind Deora went on to suggest that if the Finance Ministry wants to present an inclusive, representative and impactful Union Budget, then Minister Sitharaman should "undertake the time-honoured tradition of visiting Mumbai and lending a patient ear to all stakeholders." Their suggestions, Deora said, can be acted upon in the economic interest of the country.

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