The meeting was held in the national capital on Friday. Further details about the talks are not yet in the public domain. The Ministry of Finance conducts several pre-budget consultative meetings annually with experts, industry leaders, economists, and state officials. The regular exercise of preparing the annual budget for the next financial year has started.
Like previous years, the budget for 2025-26 is expected to be presented on February 1. Budget 2025-26 will mark Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s eighth term. All eyes will be on key announcements and economic guidance from the government for the remainder of Modi 3.0.
After the meeting, Swadeshi Jagran Manch co-convener Ashwini Mahajan noted that economists agreed in their view that India needed its own comprehensive manufacturing policy. “We gave suggestions on food inflation, climate change, financial stability, and strategies for the agriculture sector. Suggestions were also made to reduce personal income tax,” Mahajan told reporters. told reporters. Anil Sharma, a prominent economist who attended the meeting, highlighted unemployment as a key issue.
“We have suggested setting up skill universities at the district level. Although this appears to be a state government initiative, if the Center takes the lead, it can give a significant boost to employment,” Sharma said. said Some economists reiterated the need to lower personal income taxes.