Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman arrived in Parliament to present the Union Budget for 2024-25 along with her tablet wrapped in a traditional ‘bahi-khata’ style pouch. Draped in a white silk saree with magenta border, she posed for the traditional picture outside her office, along with her team of officials outside the Ministry of Finance in New Delhi.
The tablet is kept inside a red cover with a golden-coloured national emblem embossed on it.
After the customary picture, she called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
This marks Sitharaman’s seventh consecutive budget presentation, surpassing the late Morarji Desai’s record of six consecutive budgets. The budget is expected to focus on reforms in the income tax structure and enhancing the ease of doing business in India.
Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary emphasised that the budget aligns with Prime Minister Modi’s vision of “Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas.”
The Budget session of Parliament started on July 22 and is likely to conclude on August 12.
In her economic survey presented on Monday, Sitharaman projected that India’s economy could sustainably grow at a rate of 7 percent in the medium term. The survey highlighted the need for a tripartite collaboration between the Union Government, State Governments, and the private sector to capitalise on opportunities amidst global challenges like geo-economic shifts and climate change.
The survey advocated bottom-up reforms and strengthened governance to leverage the structural reforms of the past decade for robust, inclusive growth. Key areas for growth strategy included boosting private investment, supporting MSMEs, revitalizing agriculture, promoting green financing, addressing the education-employment gap, and enhancing state capabilities to accelerate India’s progress.