Health, education seek budget boost

Industry leaders urged measures to boost investment, education and healthcare in a pre-budget consultation with finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday.

- Rhik Kundu

Key proposals included expanding presumptive taxation to MSMEs and emerging sectors like data centres and cloud computing, aimed at spurring job creation, integrating India into global value chains, and measures to boost domestic consumption, fostering a win-win for taxpayers and the government.

The discussions, held ahead of the Union budget to be presented on 1 February 2025, come at a crucial time for India's economy, which is grappling with slowing growth and geopolitical challenges to trade. The discussions were attended by representatives from health, education and manufacturing sectors.