Budget 2025: Learn About The Special 6-Member Team Behind The Mammoth Task

The Union budget, which Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present to Parliament on February 1, requires the assistance of a team of experienced bureaucrats.

Who's behind Budget 2025? Meet The Team

Source : PTI

The Union Budget 2025 will be unveiled Today, on February 1st, detailing the government's intentions for economic development, spending, and taxation. A group of seasoned officials is crucial in forming the final budget, even though Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will deliver it to Parliament. This year, the Finance Minister will unveil her eighth budget, and she must balance a number of requests with maintaining steady economic development that has begun to decrease.

Check the key players who will guide India's finances in the upcoming budget. Behind the scenes, these officials formulate policies that affect all areas of the economy, from budgeting public spending to overseeing revenue collection.

V Anantha Nageswaran (Chief Economic Adviser)

The Economic Survey, which acts as a roadmap for upcoming economic policy, is prepared by V Anantha Nageswaran. Before joining the government, Nageswaran, an IIM Ahmedabad alumnus with a doctorate from the University of Massachusetts, worked in academia and the financial markets. His job as Chief Economic Adviser is to assess the economy's current situation and recommend changes to spur growth. It is anticipated that his Economic Survey will highlight policies aimed at boosting entrepreneurship, private investment, and India's development in the face of international uncertainty.

Tuhin Kanta Pandey (Finance & Revenue Secretary)

Finance and Revenue Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey, an IAS officer from the 1987 batch from Odisha, was just appointed. He is in charge of addressing requests for tax breaks and incentives while raising money through taxes. The government's disinvestment policy was overseen by Pandey while he was the Secretary of the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM). His current responsibility is to supervise the revision of income tax legislation, which could be introduced in the next session, just days before the budget.

Ajay Seth (Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs)

The head of the Department of Economic Affairs, which is in charge of creating the budget documents and preserving macroeconomic stability, is Ajay Seth, an IAS officer from the 1987 batch from Karnataka. He will be crucial in striking a balance between fiscal contraction and growth, particularly as the government moves toward a debt target under its fiscal framework. In the face of shifting global financial conditions, his department will also be involved in establishing economic measures to maintain stability.

Manoj Govil (Secretary, Department of Expenditure)

A member of the Madhya Pradesh cadre and an IAS officer from the 1991 batch, Manoj Govil is essential to the control of public spending. He was Secretary of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs before to becoming head of the expenditure department. His main priorities include increasing the effectiveness of public spending, supporting centrally sponsored programs, and rationalizing subsidies. The government must make sure that expenditure priorities line up with revenue targets while striking a balance between welfare spending and budgetary restraint.

Arunish Chawla (Secretary, DIPAM & DPE)

The Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) and the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) are overseen by Arunish Chawla, an IAS officer from the 1992 batch from Bihar. Leading the government's disinvestment program and generating revenue from state-owned assets are his main responsibilities. While working on asset monetization plans to obtain money for public spending, Chawla will supervise the strategic sale of IDBI Bank and other state-run businesses. He plays a crucial role in overseeing the government's financial resources because of his background in government administration and the pharmaceutical industry.

M Nagaraju (Secretary, Department of Financial Services)

The Department of Financial Services is run by M Nagaraju, an IAS officer from the Tripura cadre who was a member of the 1993 class. His function is essential to maintaining a steady flow of credit, overseeing fintech businesses, and growing the insurance industry. In his former position at the Ministry of Coal, Nagaraju helped to open the coal industry to private companies. In his present role, he is in charge of bolstering the banking and financial services industry in India and making sure that digital services promote financial inclusion.