Mukherjee to start pre-budget consultations next week

Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee is to start the customary pre-budget consultations next week, at a meeting with a group of agriculturists on 7January which will be followed by one with top industrialists on 11January.

He will thereafter be meeting with one or the other group on almost a daily basis till 21 January, to finalise proposals for Union Budget 2011-12.

Trade union representatives would give the list on 12 January which will be followed by a meeting with non-government organisations on 13 January. Last year, NGOs were included in the pre-budget talks for the first time.

Mukherjee will conduct discussions with a group of economists on 17 January while banking and financial institutions will give him their wish-list on 18 January. Mukherjee will hold wide-ranging talks with state finance ministers on 19January, with the round concluding with a meeting with regulators.

Meanwhile, revenue secretary Sunil Mitra has already conducted a round of talks with different sections of industry and other stakeholders this month.

North Block of the central secretariat, which houses the finance ministry, will be out bounds to visitors from next Friday. Outsiders will also be restricted from entering The Tax Research Unit (TRU) of the Central Board of Excise and Customs and the Tax Policy & Legislation (TPL) division of the Central Board of Direct Taxes from 4January.