Budget 2019: Meet Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's team

As finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman gets ready to present the first budget of the Modi government 2.0 after a thumping win in elections, expectations run high that it will fire up the slowing economy by unveiling bold reforms. ET takes a look at her team led by finance secretary Subhash Garg…

K Subramanian
Chief Economic Advisor
Subramanian, who obtained PhD in financial economics from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business under professor Luigi Zingales and Raghuram Rajan, will present his first economic survey on Thursday. His prognosis and remedies to kickstart the slowing economy would form crucial inputs for the budget this year.

Subhash Garg
Finance Secretary and Economic Affairs Secretary
Garg, an old hand at the North Block who has seen many budgets, has a tightrope walk ahead with the economy facing challenges on multiple counts — slowing growth, faltering consumption, and waning private investment. Measures to address these will need to be taken without losing sight of the fiscal consolidation roadmap.

Ajay Bhushan Pandey
Revenue Secretary
After having shown his mettle at the Unique Identification Authority of India, Pandey’s imprint will be keenly watched on the revenue side. Can he expand reliance on technology to increase tax revenues and taxpayer facilitation. With revenues remaining a concern in the slowing economy as government expenditures mount, he has a tough job in hand to keep pace with spending.

GC Murmu
Expenditure Secretary
A Gujarat-cadre IAS official, Murmu has served in the depts of financial services and revenue before moving here. Known for his implementation skills, he would have to keep spending in check without compromising the delivery of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship schemes.

Rajeev Kumar
Financial Services Secretary
Kumar has played an instrumental role in delivering some of the key agendas of the Modi government, including merger of state-run banks and getting a check on the burgeoning bad loans. He has to now nudge the lenders to start lending. Also on his plate are merger of insurers and continuation of banking reforms in PSBs.

Atanu Chakraborty
DIPAM Secretary
Last year, this 1985-batch Gujaratcadre IAS officer managed to help reach the disinvestment target through some innovative ideas, including a last minute takeover of REC by Power Fin Corp. He may have a bigger task with a more aggressive public asset monetisation and strategic sales. The government may continue to bank on Exchange Trade Funds (ETFs) to run a smooth show.