A day before taking charge, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today met senior officials of the ministry to discuss issues related to the economy.

Finance Secretary Ashok Chawla, the senior-most secretary in the ministry, as well as Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Virmani, met Mukherjee at his residence on Sunday noon. “It was a routine briefing,” Chawla told Business Standard after the meeting. However, he did not elaborate on the talking points of the discussions with Mukherjee.

Click here for Cloud Computing

Also Read   Related Stories News Now - Pranab meets senior officials to discuss Budget 2009-10 - PROFILE: Pranab's first priority to present budget for 2009-10 - Six Cabinet portfolios decided, Mamata gets Railways - New govt to focus on making education accessible, affordable - Pranab visits North Block - Congress rules out CMP for UPA allies

Also Read   Related Stories News Now - S&P reaches 7-month high before hitting wall - World Bank President Zoellick to step down on June 30 - Oil cos cut jet fuel prices by Rs 350/kl - Telcos operating profit to rise 5% in 2 yrs: Crisil - PESB recommends SS Narsing Rao for CIL's top slot More

After being sworn-in as finance minister on Friday, Mukherjee told reporters the priority would be to protect the economy from global economic crisis. “Major economic issues have to be addressed and efforts will be made to insulate the economy from the adverse impact of the financial slowdown,” he said, without specifying what measures he planned to take.

Mukherjee was allotted the finance portfolio on Saturday. Significantly, he had met senior officials of the ministry on Friday for an informal meeting.

These meetings assume significance as the United Progressive Alliance government will have to present the Budget in the backdrop of the global recession, which is likely to shave off India’s economic growth. Norms mandate that the budget will have to be presented before July 31. If the pre-Budget process extends longer, then the government will have to get a vote-on-account to ensure that financial allocations needed by the government for functioning do not get hampered.

Mukherjee, as finance minister of the previous government, had also presented the vote-on-account on February 16, where the outgoing ruling alliance announced further cuts in indirect taxes.

New Ipad Application :Business Standard's all new IPad App Click here to download for free Other Stories      - S&P reaches 7-month high before hitting wall - World Bank President Zoellick to step down on June 30 - Oil cos cut jet fuel prices by Rs 350/kl - Telcos operating profit to rise 5% in 2 yrs: Crisil - PESB recommends SS Narsing Rao for CIL's top slot

Tags : Ashok Chawla | Pranab Mukherjee   Read Business news in  Advertisements -  Now property search gets more exciting than ever before! -  High Growth Business Opportunities in Africa - Register to explore -  We live for our family. have you secured them? -  Office 365 for professionals and small businesses. -  Earn fuel worth Rs.2400 with Citi -  India's No. 1 Property Site. Click here to know more.. -  Diseases earlier, Saving Costs, Extending Lives. Know More.. -  Get 5% cashback on telephone bills with Citi -  Enjoy the journey as much as the destination. click to know more.. -  Exim Bank Conclave on India - Africa Project Partnership. Know more.. -  Medium-sized businesses are the engines of a smarter planet. -  Be part of it The World's Largest Aircraft. -  Creating Wealth made simple the SIP way. Know more.. -  Only Developer to give a guarantee on time space & rate. -  Buy Your Property with Our Triple Guarantee in India. -  Improve Patient Care & Experience. Click here to know more -  Win a Business Class Ticket to Europe..Know more.. -   Introduce a New Automotive Luxury Car.. know more -  Health is Wealth..... Insurance + Savings... Know More...