Budget 2026-27: PM Modi holds high-level talks with team NITI Aayog

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday convened a high-level discussion with economists and sectoral experts to seek suggestions on boosting economic growth, generating jobs, and shaping the Union Budget 2026-27, slated for presentation in Parliament on February 1.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was present at the brainstorming session, along with top economists, experts from a variety of fields, and senior officials from NITI Aayog. The economic trajectory of India, sectoral allocations, private investment incentives, skill development, export growth, infrastructure projects, and social and economic inclusion initiatives were all discussed by experts. There was also discussion of fiscal issues, such as maintaining a declining fiscal deficit while balancing revenue mobilisation and expenditure.

Also Read: Union Budget 2026: Govt invites public suggestions on tax, inflation, growth—Know how to send your suggestions

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Viksit Bharat becomes mass aspiration

Addressing the gathering, PM Modi said the vision of a Viksit Bharat (Developed India) by 2047 has evolved from government policy into a genuine mass aspiration. “This shift is visible in changing patterns of education, consumption, and global mobility, necessitating enhanced institutional capacity and proactive infrastructure planning,” he said.

The prime minister emphasised mission-mode reforms across sectors to sustain long-term growth and called for policymaking and budgeting aligned with the 2047 vision. He highlighted the importance of ensuring India remains a global hub for workforce and international markets.

Also Read: FM Nirmala Sitharaman holds 10 pre-budget meetings ahead of Union Budget 2026–27

Focus on structural transformation and technology

The theme of ‘Aatmanirbharta and Structural Transformation: Agenda for Viksit Bharat’ under which the discussions focused on how to increase the productivity and competitiveness of both manufacturing and services. The experts discussed the different ways of making these transitions faster by increasing household savings, building up strong infrastructure, getting on with the new technologies like AI, and the ongoing development of India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) which includes the support of AI.

The attendees predicted that the reforms introduced in 2025 together with the planned further consolidation in the following year will give India a very strong foundation and at the same time unlock new growth opportunities thus ensuring that the country remains one of the fastest growing global economies.

Global economists and other specialists from different sectors present at the event included Shankar Acharya, Ashok K Bhattacharya, N R Bhanumurthy, Amita Batra, Janmejaya Sinha, Amit Chandra, Rajani Sinha, Dinesh Kanabar, Basanta Pradhan, Madan Sabnavis, Ashima Goyal, Dharmakirti Joshi, Umakant Dash, Pinaki Chakraborty, Indranil Sen Gupta, Samiran Chakraborty, Abhiman Das, Rahul Bajoria, Monika Halan, and Siddhartha Sanyal.