New Delhi: Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman has concluded the pre-budget consultation meetings for Budget 2022-23 by holding eight meetings in which more than 120 invitees representing seven stakeholder groups participated.

The stakeholder groups include representatives and experts from agriculture and agro processing industry; industry, infrastructure and climate change; financial sector and capital markets; services and trade; social sector; trade union and labour organization and economists.

Union Ministers of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary and Dr Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad, Finance Secretary TV Somanathan; Secretary, DEA, Ajay Seth; Secretary, DIPAM; Tuhin Kanta Pandey; Secretary, Financial Services, Debashish Panda; Secretary, Corporate Affairs, Rajesh Verma; Secretary, Revenue, Tarun Bajaj and senior officers from Ministry of Finance were also present during these meetings.

The stakeholder groups made several suggestions on various issues that included increased research and development spending, infrastructure status for digital services, incentives to hydrogen storage and fuel cell development, rationalization of income tax slabs, investments in online safety measures, etc., among others. The participants lauded the government's efforts in efficiently handling the economy during the pandemic and retaining India’s status as the fastest growing major economy. /BI/