On November 11, the finance ministry concluded the pre-Budget meetings with the financial advisors of different departments and ministries on the revised estimates for 2024-25 (FY25) and Budget estimates for FY26. Though the formal engagement of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman with various stakeholders seeking their Budget wishlists is expected to begin next month, the Budget-making exercise is gaining momentum in North Block, the seat of the finance ministry in New Delhi.
It will be the second Budget of the Modi 3.0 government and eighth straight Budget for Sitharaman, rare in Indian polity.
Though the FY26 Budget will come only six