Ministers to ask MPs for suggestions on Budget

In a move to take the slogan of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” literally forward, the Narendra Modi government is reaching out to MPs of all parties to solicit their views and suggestions for next year’s Budget. In a first-of-its-kind exercise, key ministers in the Cabinet will formally inviting suggestions from MPs as part of the Budget-making process.

The PM is learnt to have told key ministers in charge of infrastructure and social sector portfolios to directly engage MPs, cutting across party lines, and make them a part of the Budget-making process. The idea is to make the Budget live up to people’s aspirations. The finance ministry usually holds consultations with stakeholders, including business and trade organisation leaders, but MPs have not been part of this process, though a few offer suggestions on their own.

Railway minister Suresh Prabhu has already sent letters to MPs of different parties for next year’s Rail Budget.

Sources said MPs will be asked to submit constituency-specific demands that could be incorporated in the Budget.

Several top ministers, including in charge of agriculture, rural development, health and family welfare, among others, will soon reach out to parliamentarians, sources said, adding MPs will be asked to submit constituency-specific demands that could be incorporated in the Budget. Next year’s Budget is likely to be advanced from the usual date at the end of February.

It may be noted that Mr Prabhu had last year taken an initiative to ask zonal railway general managers to meet MPs and compile their demands. But now Mr Prabhu is asking MPs to list constituency-specific demands with the zonal GMs, and if they have any suggestions for policy-making they could speak directly to ministers or to meet him. The other ministers are also likely to adopt the same approach.

“The MPs on their own used to earlier meet ministers to raise constituency-specific demands, but such a formal process was never practised. In the last Parliament session, we saw another initiative wherein a few ministers met MPs on a specified day to discuss issues concerning the Lok Sabha constituencies of the members,” said Mr Jagdambika Pal, BJP MP from Doomariyaganj in Uttar Pradesh.

The PM had recently sought to rope in MPs to make the Central government’s schemes reach out to the people.