In what can be termed as a break from the decade-old tradition, Finance and Company Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh, has decided to cancel the routine pre-Budget meetings with groups of economists, industrialists, agriculturists, consumer bodies and the like.
These discussions were generally scheduled to be held during the first fortnight of January.
According to finance ministry sources, Singh has informally conveyed his disapproval of holding such meetings.
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The minister is of the view that the Budget-making process this year has been transparent enough in the backdrop of the wide-ranging discussions based on the Kelkar reports and the subsequent mid-year review, both of which have been posted on the Net.
There is also very little possibility of flexibility in expenditure management by the finance ministry to accommodate diverse needs.
The ministry has not yet started preparing the agenda papers or the list of invitees for the purpose.
The meetings with pressure groups was Manmohan Singh