Three key members of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s team will step down this year, to make room for a new set of officers to carry the baton of the Budget programmes. But, for the first time in several years at other key ministries, especially the social sector ministries with a large purse to spend this year and next, there will be no change at the top, for more than a year.
The continuity is significant. It is a key development since the upcoming general Budget of the central government is expected to make large allocations for expenditure in sectors like