Chidambaram to hold budget consultations with Cong leaders

Finance Minister P Chidambaram will hold consultations with Congress leaders on February 14 amid expectations that the 2013-14 Budget will be a promising affair replete with populist schemes. Party sources said that Chidambaram will be coming to the AICC headquarters for holding the pre-budget consultations with party office bearers. With the Lok Sabha polls just 15 months away, Congress leaders expect that a 'very promising' budget is on the cards with the exercise focusing on populist schemes along with economic reforms. Party leaders have given hints that the budgetary exercise could witness start of many programmes which are going to have far-reaching consequences. Several economic reforms, Food Security law and Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) all over the country are among measures that are being planned to be implemented in the year ahead. There has been talk that the Budget could be used for giving greater focus to the problems of the youth at a time when majority of the population is below 45. The budget session of Parliament will start on February 21 and the budget will be presented on February 28.