Sitharaman holds pre-Budget consultation with Finance Ministers of States/UTs

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday held pre-Budget consultations with the Finance Ministers of states and Union Territories.

The meeting was attended by Chief Ministers of Goa, Haryana, and Puducherry, Deputy Chief Ministers of Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, and Tripura as well as 17 Finance Ministers and Ministers representing their states.

Union Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Thakur also attended the meeting along with senior officers from the Union Government and States.

In the meeting, Sitharaman referred to the Union Government's philosophy of cooperative federalism and steps taken to bolster economic growth. State governments welcomed the opportunity to present their views and expressed their suggestions on growth, investment, resource requirement, and fiscal policy.

They also suggested measures to strengthen cooperation between states and the Centre to achieve the goal of five trillion dollars economy in the next five years.

The Finance Minister assured that memorandums submitted by states and union territories will be examined and suitably considered.