Budget after March 9, says Pranab

The government will present the Union Budget for FY13 after March 9, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here today.

"We are working on date. We will [present] the budget after [Assembly] election is over... The code of conduct will be operational till March 9," Mukherjee told reporters here.

The government has postponed the budget in view of the Assembly elections in five states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur between January 30 and March 3.

The counting would take place on March 4 and the code of conduct will end on March 9. As March 10 and March 11 are Saturday and Sunday, the Budget is likely to be presented in week beginning March 12.

The general budget is usually presented on the last day of February every year.

Mukherjee will hold discussions with various stakeholders during his annual pre-budget meetings beginning January 11.

The first meeting would be held with agriculturalists, followed by a series of interactions with sectoral experts, representatives, industry captains and economists over the next ten days to get their feedback and inputs for incorporating them in Budget FY13.

Mukherjee is slated to meet captains of industry on January 13, followed by trade union leaders on January 16.