Budget 2024: PM Modi, Nirmala Sitharaman hold key meet with economists

Ahead of the Budget 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held an important meet with economists. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was also present at the pre-budget meet.

The incumbent Modi government will present their first full budget of the third term on July 23.

Besides economists and sectoral experts, Planning Minister Rao Inderjit Singh, Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran and economists Surjit Bhalla and Ashok Gulati and veteran banker K V Kamath also marked their attendance at the meet.



Previously, Sitharaman held multiple meetings with stakeholders including farmer associations and state finance ministers in the run-up to the budget.

During the meetings, Sitharaman received a wide range of suggestions, including the need for sustained capital expenditure and fiscal prudence, lowering tax rates to boost private consumption and increasing social and rural spending.

The finance minister "assured experts and representatives that their suggestions would be carefully examined and considered" while preparing the Budget.

Moreover, President Droupadi Murmu had indicated that the government would come out with historic steps to accelerate the pace of reforms.

The Budget will be an effective document of the government's far-reaching policies and futuristic vision, Murmu highlighted in her address to the joint sitting of Parliament last month.