Pre-Budget consultation: Finance Minister to meet economists today

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will hold pre-budget consultations with prominent economists on Wednesday for the forthcoming general budget 2022-23.

"Union Finance Minister Smt. @nsitharaman will chair Pre-Budget consultations with prominent economists tomorrow afternoon, December 22 2021, in New Delhi in connection with the forthcoming General Budget 2022-23. The meetings are being held virtually," the Ministry of Finance said in a tweet on Monday. 

Finance Minister has been holding pre-budget consultations with representatives of various sectors since December 15. Sitharaman has held six such pre-budget consultations, the latest held on December 18 with experts from health, education, rural development, water, and sanitation sectors.

Sitharaman's first meeting was with agri experts and the agro-processing industry. She has held discussions with various industry bodies, farmer organisations, economists and services sector experts, especially considering the COVID-19 pandemic.

The budget for the next year will have to address critical issues of demand generation, job creation and putting the economy on a sustained 8 per cent plus growth path.

Sitharaman will present the Union Budget on February 1, 2022. The Budget 2022-23 would be at the backdrop of surging cases of Omicron variant.