FM Sitharaman to Restart Pre-Budget Consultation: Here Are Lined-up Meetings

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will reportedly resume her pre-Budget consultation meetings this week from November 18. The meetings are a traditional consultation process the Ministry of Finance undertakes before every Union Budget.

According to an NDTV Profit report, on November 18, the meeting will be with representatives of the capital markets. It will then be followed by sessions with startups as well as the manufacturing sector.

On November 19, the consultation round will move to stakeholders from the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) industry, along with representatives from the information technology sector. These discussions are expected to focus on issues such as credit availability, financial system resilience, fintech oversight, digital infrastructure, cybersecurity and the broader policy support needed to keep India’s tech-enabled sectors growing, the report added.

The next day, November 20, the Finance Minister is expected to meet participants from the hospitality and tourism industries, followed by an interaction with labour unions. These groups are likely to highlight concerns around the post-Covid recovery, ways to boost demand, workforce training, wage norms and strengthening social security provisions.

On November 21, the engagement will shift to stakeholders from infrastructure and energy, as well as specialists in urban development. Their discussions are expected to centre on long-term funding, green transition strategies, public-private partnerships, housing, mobility, city planning and municipal finance.

The consultation exercise is scheduled to wrap up on November 26 with meetings involving social sector groups and internal ministry officials.

The consultation exercise for Budget 2026–27 (FY27) kicked off in late October with initial meetings with economists. It was also attended by Chief Economic Adviser V. Anantha Nageswaran and senior officials from the Department of Economic Affairs. The Finance Minister has also held discussions with representatives from the agriculture sector.

Meanwhile, there is growing speculation that the date for this year’s Budget presentation could shift from February 1as it falls on a Sunday. While no final call has been made, officials suggest the pre-Budget meetings were brought forward to allow flexibility, the report claimed. In past instances when the designated date fell on a Sunday, the Budget has been presented a day earlier.