Page 4 - IIMV Newsletter_30 May 2024

PANEL DISCUSSIONS AND INVITED TALKS

Online panel discussion on Decoding the Interim Union Budget

FY 2024-2025

06 FEB

On February 6, 2024, IIMV hosted an online panel discussion with the title “Decoding the Interim Union
Budget FY 24–25”. Dr. Tamali Chakraborty, Chair of the Economics and Social Sciences Area (ESS), provided
opening remarks to set the context. The online panel comprised Dr. Soumya Kanti Ghosh, Group Chief
Economic Advisor, State Bank of India, Dr. M. Govinda Rao, Councillor, Takshashila Institution, and Dr.
Charan Singh, Chief Executive, Economic Growth and Welfare (EGROW) Foundation. Dr. Kalyan Kolukuluri,
Assistant Professor in the ESS Area, moderated the discussion.

Dr. Ghosh described this budget as charting the future path of ‘Viksit Bharat,’ with a promising 7% Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate. He said that even though the interim budget was quite impactful,
fiscal consolidation and increased capital expenditure were at its core. Dr. M. Govinda Rao noted that the
budget demonstrated greater transparency and accountability and prioritized infrastructure development
to ensure stability and foster greater GDP growth. He also highlighted the necessity of achieving a minimum

of 9% real growth over the next 25 years to transform India into a developed country by 2047. Dr. Charan
Singh stated that the budget was crucial for enhancing the social sector, focusing on policies for enhancing
female labour force participation, youth skill development, poverty alleviation, and farmer welfare. He
closed the discussion by saying the budget maintained continuity and created policy momentum for the
coming financial year. The session provided a comprehensive overview of the interim union budget. Dr.
Asmita Verma, Assistant Professor in the ESS Area, concluded the session by expressing gratitude to all the
panellists and participants.

1 VOL.5/ ISSUE 2, JAN-APRIL 2024