PM Modi to meet economists ahead of Union Budget on Thursday

New Delhi, July 9 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Thursday meet eminent economists to elicit their views and suggestions for the upcoming Budget, a senior government official said.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is scheduled to present the Budget for 2024-25 in the Lok Sabha on July 23.

Besides economists and sectoral experts, the Prime Minister’s meeting will also be attended by Niti Aayog vice-chairman Suman Bery and other members.

This will be the first major economic document of the Modi 3.0 government, which, among other things, is expected to lay the road map for making India a developed nation by 2047.

President Droupadi Murmu, in her address to the joint sitting of Parliament last month, had indicated that the government would come out with historic steps to accelerate the pace of reforms.

She also said the Budget will be an effective document of the government’s far-reaching policies and futuristic vision.

Sitharaman has already held discussions with various stakeholders, including economists and captains of Indian industry, on the forthcoming Budget.

Several experts have urged the government to provide tax relief to the common man to boost consumption and come out with steps to check inflation and accelerate economic growth.

The economy has recorded a growth rate of 8.2 per cent in 2023-24. Earlier in February, Sitharaman came out with an interim budget for 2024-25 in view of the Lok Sabha elections.