T V Somanathan to Debashish Panda: Meet FM's A-team behind Budget 2022

2021-22 will be another year when the Centre's divestment plans could fall short of the budgeted target

In a week, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the much-awaited 2022-23 Union Budget. While there has been strong recovery in some sectors, touch services like hospitality, tourism and leisure continue to suffer after two Covid-19 waves.

Household savings have been hit due to increased spending on health care. Consumption has still not reached pre-pandemic levels.

Navigating this reality and ensuring the Budget addresses these concerns is a job entrusted with a core team:

Nirmala Sitharaman

As she prepares to present her fourth Budget, there could be moments when she must have wished she had the luck of some of her predecessors, especially Arun