Budget 2019-20: Govt seeks inputs from citizens by June 20

The government Friday sought inputs from citizens on the Union Budget 2019-20 with a view to make the Budget making exercise more participative and inclusive. The comments have been sought on government's 'mygov.In' portal by June 20. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the first budget of the Modi 2.0 government on July 5. In order to make the Union Budget-making process participative and inclusive, the ministry of finance seeks inputs from citizens and this has been a practice for the last several years.

This year too, the ministry looks forward to hearing suggestions for the Union Budget which will be presented in Parliament in the upcoming session, the portal said while inviting ideas and suggestions for Union Budget 2019-2020.

"Citizens from all walks of life are welcome to be a part of this democratic exercise. You can submit your suggestions either directly in the comments box or attach a PDF document. We seek your valuable ideas to continue the tradition of the Union Budget incorporating the citizens' aspirations," it said.

Sitharaman had on Thursday appreciated the suggestions given by various stakeholders for the forthcoming budget and said that ministry officials will take note of them. Her budget team comprises Minister of State for Finance Anurag Singh Thakur and Chief Economic Advisor Krishnamurthy Subramanian.

The official team is led by Finance Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg, Expenditure Secretary Girish Chandra Murmu, Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey, DIPAM Secretary Atanu Chakraborty, and Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Kumar.

In her budget, the 59-year-old JNU alumnus, Sitharaman, will have to address slowing economy, financial sector troubles like rising NPAs and liquidity crisis in NBFCs, job creation, private investments, exports revival, agrarian crisis and raise public investment without compromising on fiscal prudence.

The first session of the newly elected 17th Lok Sabha will be held from June 17 to July 26. The Economic Survey for 2019-20 will be tabled on July 4 followed by the presentation of the budget on the next day.