finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman will begin pre-Budget consultation meetings with various stakeholders from Friday, December 6. As part of this entire process, the Finance Minister will meet leading economists on 6 December. During this time, the Finance Minister will take suggestions from them regarding the budget to be presented next year amid the GDP being the lowest in seven quarters at 5.4 percent in the second quarter (July-September) of the current financial year (2024-25). Sources said that after this, on December 7, the Finance Minister will have a meeting with farmers' organizations, agricultural economists and representatives of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector.
Pre-budget consultation meetings will continue till December 30
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is likely to present the Union Budget for the financial year 2025-26 on February 1, 2025. This will be the eighth consecutive budget to be presented by Nirmala Sitharaman. Along with this, this will be the second full budget of the third term of the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which will provide policy direction to achieve the goal of a developed India by 2047. The pre-Budget consultations will conclude on December 30 with consultations with stalwarts of Indian industry and social sectors, especially education and health. Sources said that the Finance Minister will also have meetings with Labor Group, Financial Sector, Service Sector etc.
The budget was presented twice this year due to Lok Sabha elections.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had presented two budgets this year. The Finance Minister presented the country's interim budget for the financial year 2024-25 on February 1, 2024. After the results of the Lok Sabha elections in June, the Finance Minister presented the full budget for the financial year 2024-25 on July 23. Let us tell you that in the year when Lok Sabha elections are held in the country, the budget is presented twice. An interim budget is presented before the elections, in which there are no major announcements. When the government is formed after the elections are over, the full budget is presented.
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