Chidambaram to meet Fin Min secretaries on Monday

Finance Minister P Chidambaram will meet all the five secretaries in his ministry tomorrow to clear the backlog of files before the formation of the new government next month.

Besides clearing the pending file, the minister will focus on fast-tracking the implementation of the decisions taken earlier.

The minister has been shuttling between Delhi and Tamil Nadu. His son Karti Chidambaram is contesting the ongoing general elections from Sivaganga, a constituency which the Union Minister represents.

The 9-phase general election will be completed with the counting of votes on May 16.

Sources said the minister was abreast of the major happenings in the ministry although he has not been able to attend office regularly.

Economic Affairs Secretary Arvind Mayaram, Revenue Secretary Rajiv Takru, Expenditure Secretary Ratan Watal, Disinvestment Secretary Ravi Mathur and Financial Services Secretary G S Sandhu will meet the minister tomorrow.

Chidambaram is not contesting the elections himself and the country may see a new Finance Minister post elections.

Chidambaram had earlier said: "I will keep a firm hand on the wheel till the last day and I will hand over the wheel to a firm hand."

In the next two weeks, Finance Ministry officials would start preparatory work for formulating the 2014-15 regular Budget document.

Chidambaram had earlier presented the 2014 interim Budget, wherein he had lowered the fiscal deficit for the year ended March 2014 to 4.6%, from the earlier estimate of 4.8%.

The next Budget is expected be presented by the new Finance Minister sometime in July.