Leading economists on Tuesday urged the government to take measures for improving farm productivity and job creation beside others. They were having an interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of pre budget consultation and

The meeting was held on the theme “Maintaining India’s growth momentum at a time of Global uncertainty”. In his remarks, “Prime Minister emphasised that Viksit Bharat can be achieved through a fundamental change in mindset which is focused towards making India developed by 2047,” a statement issued by the Prime Minister office said.

The meeting took place at a time, when apprehensions are raised about India’s economic growth after a growth slowdown in Q2 to 5.4 per cent, the lowest in seven quarters. At the same time, geopolitical situation has become more gloomy posing fresh challenge for Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who is all set to present her 8^th successive Budget on February 1.

During the meeting, the participants shared their views on several issues, including navigating challenges posed by global economic uncertainties and geopolitical tensions, strategies to enhance employment particularly among the youth, and create sustainable job opportunities across sectors.

Suggestions were also made on aligning education and training programmes with the evolving needs of the job market, enhancing agricultural productivity and creating sustainable rural employment opportunities, attracting private investment and mobilising public funds for infrastructure projects to boost economic growth. Suggestions were also made for promoting financial inclusion and boosting exports and attracting foreign investment, as per the statement.

According to sources, the interactions extended beyond the immediate Budget exercise, focusing instead on a broader long-term growth vision. In his third term, Modi is keen on implementing measures that would steer India towards becoming a “Viksit Bharat” (developed nation).

Among the economists and experts present were Ridham Desai from Morgan Stanley, agriculture economist Ashok Gulati, former IMF Executive Director Surjit Bhalla, and DK Joshi from Crisil.  The closed-door meeting took place at Niti Aayog and was attended by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister for Statistics and Programme Implementation, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister PK Mishra, NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Suman Bery, and Niti Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam.