Finance Minister Sitharaman Hosts 4th Pre-Budget Meeting Ahead Of Union Budget Announcements

Union Budget 2025-26: These consultations follow a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this week with economists and sector experts

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday held discussions with stakeholders and experts from the export, trade, and industry sectors in New Delhi as part of the preparations for the Union Budget 2025-26. This will be Sitharaman's eighth consecutive Budget presentation, set to take place on February 1, 2025.

The Ministry of Finance said in a post on X (Formerly Twitter), “Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. @nsitharaman chairs the fourth Pre-Budget Consultation with the stakeholders and experts from export, trade and industry sectors in connection with the upcoming Union Budget 2025-26, in New Delhi, today.”

“The meeting was also attended by Union Minister of State for Finance Shri @mppchaudhary; Finance Secretary and @SecyDIPAM; and Secretaries of Department of Economic Affairs @FinMinIndia and @DoC_GoI; and Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India,” the post added.

Attendee List Of The Meeting

The meeting was attended by Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary, Finance Secretary and DIPAM Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey, Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth, Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal, and Chief Economic Adviser V. Anantha Nageswaran.

These consultations follow a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this week with economists and sector experts, focused on the theme "Sustaining India’s Growth Momentum Amid Global Uncertainty." The discussions covered job creation, long-term growth strategies, boosting farm productivity, and addressing global geopolitical challenges.

PM Modi stressed the need for a fundamental shift in mindset to transform India into a developed nation by 2047. Notable economists such as Ashok Gulati, D.K. Joshi, Surjit Bhalla, Janmejaya Sinha, Soumya Kanti Ghosh, and Amita Batra were key participants in the meeting.

On December 20 in Jaisalmer, Sitharaman participated in another pre-budget meeting with finance ministers from various states and union territories. The meeting was also attended by the chief ministers of Goa, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya, and Odisha, as well as the deputy chief ministers of Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Telangana. Key finance ministry officials, including the secretaries of Economic Affairs and Expenditure, were also present.