IMPHAL, January 7: The Finance Minister P Chidambaram today had a consultation with economists on the focus and direction of the forthcoming Budget.
He was accompanied by his two Ministers of State, Secretaries and Chief Economic Advisor, said a press statement from Society of Social Sciences, Manipur University Amar Yumnam.
The Economists attending the meeting were Nitin Desai, Amar Yumnam, Bharat Ramaswamy, Omkar Goswami, D. K. Srivastava, Ajit Ranade, Rajiv Kumar, Rohini Somnathan, Pulin Nayak, Shekhar Shah and Surjit Bhalla, it said.
They emphasised the need for avoiding populist approaches and the imperative for producing responsible Budget. They touched on many issues touching on taxation, expenditure, urbanisation, North-East, education and environment where the Finance Minister needs giving attention in framing the forthcoming budget, it said.
Inflation was touched by many as needing immediate attention for control. Expenditure tracking in the context of the North East was also emphasised in the consultation. Proposal was also mentioned for making budget and policy making a continuous affair rather than a once in a year event. Overall the issues of going beyond growth rates were raised by the Economists in the consultation, the statement said.