Page 28 - Finance Minister

Union Budget 2024: India likely to register 7% economic growth in FY25

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the budget on Feb. 1, factoring in the growth projections

Interim Budget 2024: Date, time and halwa ceremony; all you need to know

To mark the final stage for preparation of the Interim Budget 2024, FM Sitharaman earlier this month participated in the customary 'halwa' ceremony

Budget 2024: A glance Budget 2023 announcements for agriculture sector

From welfare schemes to infrastructure & digital development, here are the highlights of Budget 2023 for the agricultural sector in India and the expectation for the Interim Budget 2024

Here's what to watch out for in Interim Budget ahead of Lok Sabha polls

The budget this week is an interim one until a new administration takes office, and the finance minister has already hinted there won't be any major announcements

'No spectacular announcements': Will FM walk the talk on interim Budget?

The Interim Budget due on February 1, 2024, will include a Vote on Account to ensure that the government's expenditure does not get affected in view of the Lok Sabha elections

Interim Budget 2024: T V Somanathan to Ajay Seth, meet the FM's crack squad

Sitharaman is backed by a strong team of bureaucrats and economists, who will chart the future strategy in the upcoming Budget

Sitharaman to equal record of ex-PM Desai by presenting 6 Budgets in a row

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will set a record by presenting the sixth Budget in a row -- 5 annual Budgets and one interim -- a feat achieved so far only by former Prime Minister Morarji Desai. With the presentation of interim Budget on February 1, Sitharaman will surpass the records of her predecessors like Manmohan Singh, Arun Jaitley, P Chidambaram, and Yashwant Sinha, who had presented five budgets in a row. Desai, as Finance Minister, had presented five annual Budgets and one interim Budget between 1959-1964. The interim Budget 2024-25 to be presented by Sitharaman on February 1, will be a vote-on-account that will give the government authority to spend certain sums of money till a new government comes to office after the April-May general elections. As the Parliamentary elections are due, Sitharaman's interim Budget may not contain any major policy changes. Speaking at an industry event last month, Sitharaman had ruled out any "spectacular announcement" in the interi

Interim Budget: Govt policies to focus on four priority groups, says FM

Country self-sufficient in face of global challenges like the Red Sea crisis, she says

Budget 2024 LIVE: India Inc awaits FM's Budget for growth boosting measures

Union Budget 2024 Live Updates: The Interim Budget 2024 is set to be presented on February 1. Catch all the budget-related live updates here

FM takes part in 'halwa' ceremony; marks final stage of interim Budget prep

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday participated in a traditional 'halwa' ceremony, marking the final stage for preparation of the Interim Budget 2024 to be unveiled on February 1 in the Lok Sabha. The ceremony is an annual ritual in which the traditional dessert 'halwa' is prepared and served to officials and staff members of the finance ministry who are involved in the preparation of the Budget. It is organised every year in the basement of North Block, which houses the ministry in the national capital and is attended by the finance minister and other high-ranking officials. A customary Halwa ceremony is performed every year before the 'lock-in' process of Budget preparation begins, an official statement said. As part of the ceremony, the finance minister also took a round of the Budget Press and reviewed the preparations besides extending her best wishes to the officials concerned. Like the previous three full Union Budgets, Interim Union Budget 2024 will also be .

Former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur to be awarded Bharat Ratna

During his nearly ten years at the helm, the PM tried melding the 'Mandal versus Kamandal' politics of 1990

Budget 2024 LIVE updates: Govt raises import duty on gold, silver jewellery

Union budget 2024: Govt will table the interim budget where focus will likely be on controlling fiscal deficit and supporting agri ahead of the elections. Catch all the budget-related live updates

FM alleges police misuse in TN; Governor alleges 'spiritual repression'

Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi on Monday alleged that priests and staff of a Shri Ram temple here, under the control of the state government, faced 'repression' while the entire country celebrated the 'Pran Pratishtha' of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman speaking to reporters in Kancheepuram alleged that the Tamil Nadu police 'is being misused' by the 'Hindu hating' DMK regime to thwart public screening of the Ayodhya ceremony and celebrations to mark the event. The DMK 'is clearly showing its personal hatred' for the Prime Minister and 'suppressing worshippers,' she alleged Against the background of the BJP alleging a 'ban' by the DMK regime for celebrations and public screening to mark the consecration, Ravi, underscored his visit to a temple here and seemingly backed the Saffron party's accusation. The Governor said on X: "This morning I visited Sri Kodandaramaswami Temple, West Mambalam, Chennai, and offered prayers to Prabhu Sri Ram for the well-bein

Nearly 90% of young people lack ability to calculate loan repayments

The exercise involved calculating the total amount to be repaid after a year if one is given the loan amount and the interest applicable

Interim Budget to cut fiscal deficit in election year, focus on capex: Poll

The government is aiming to narrow the fiscal deficit to 4.50% of GDP by the end of the 2025-26 fiscal year (FY) from 5.90% in the current year to end-March 2024

Budget 2024: MSMEs expect special package from FM Sitharaman on Feb 1

The MSME sector wants Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to come out with a special package for small and medium enterprises to ensure greater availability of institutional credit at competitive rates to enable it to play a bigger role as India moves closer to becoming a USD 5 trillion economy. Sitharaman is scheduled to present the interim Budget 2023-24 in the Lok Sabha on February 1. This will be the last major economic document of the government before the next general elections. The share of MSME (Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises) sector in the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2021-22 was 29.15 per cent. On expectations from the Budget, Federation of Indian Micro and Small & Medium Enterprises (FISME) said the relationship between banks and MSME is an uneven one with the balance of power heavily tilted in favour of the lenders. "Lack of competition in the banking sector (75 per cent of banks being public sector) and weak regulatory institutions, which have not .

India to budget fiscal deficit at 5.3% of GDP in FY25: BofA Securities

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will opt for a further reduction in fiscal deficit to 5.3 per cent of India's gross domestic product in the upcoming budget for FY25 despite poll pressure, a foreign brokerage said on Friday. The government will meet the FY24 commitment to reduce the important number to 5.9 per cent, BofA Securities said in a note. "We see Centre's fiscal deficit to consolidate further to 5.3 per cent of GDP, despite poll pressure," its analysts wrote in a note. The government will opt for continuing with its strategy of consolidating fiscal deficit through capital expenditure driven growth instead of expenditure compression, it said. The brokerage said digitization-led formalization has aided the fiscal math through tax buoyancy on one side and reducing wasteful expenditure (subsidy leakage) on the other. The government had earlier committed to reduce the fiscal deficit to 4.5 per cent by FY26 as part of its glide path to gradually reduce the gap, which is seen

ED raids Chennai infrastructure firm, promoters in money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday raided multiple premises in Chennai as part of a money laundering investigation involving a city-based civil construction and infrastructure company, its promoters and linked persons, official sources said. The probe by the central agency was initiated after taking cognisance of an FIR filed by the central crime branch (CCB) of Greater Chennai Police against Ocean Lifespaces India Private Limited, its MD and CEO S K Peter, some directors and others. About six-seven locations in and around Chennai city are being covered by ED officials under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said. The CCB FIR was filed last year on the complaint of a former director of the company, B Sriram, who alleged he was "cheated" by the promoters and later he also moved the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) challenging his removal from the board of the company. The company promoters and directors subsequently moved the Madras

Court takes cognizance of ED chargesheet in Rs 36 cr Delhi Waqf board case

The Rouse Avenue court took cognizance of the prosecution complaint (charge sheet) filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Delhi Waqf Board Money Laundering case

Budget 2024: Who was first woman to present Budget? Know interesting facts

Interim Budget 2024: Who holds the record for reading the most number of budgets in India and other interesting Budget facts