PM hints at ‘mission-mode’ reforms in multiple sectors

PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA Modi on Tuesday signalled that the Budget for FY 27 would carry the flavour of "Viksit Bharat" and underlined that a key priority for the government at this juncture would be to meet the aspirations of the 250 million people who have been lifted out of poverty in the last decade.

- KULDEEP SINGH

Education, health and jobs will be accorded precedence in policymaking and fiscal allocations, Modi indicated, while interacting with a group of economists here on Tuesday.

The PM stressed the need for “mission-mode reforms” in diverse sectors to build global capability,attain global integration and sustain long-term growth. Modi said India's policymaking and budgeting must remain anchored with a vision for 2047. He also spoke about the need for ensuring that the nation remains a vital hub for the global workforce and international markets.

The meeting, convened ahead of the Budget for FY27, and amid fiscal constraints and external headwinds, including high US tariffs on Indian goods, went beyond the immediate agenda of how fiscal resources will be raised or apportioned in the next financial year. It deliberated on the medium-term economic trajectory and growth strategies, sources said on condition of anonymity.

MANY OF THE economists who attended the session are learnt to have expressed concern over the low household financial savings and called for measures to boost these resources, which are critical for capital creation and asset formation in the economy.