Finance Minister likely to address RBI board on Feb 11

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is likely to address the Reserve Bank of India‘s central board on February 11 and highlight key points of the Union Budget, including the fiscal consolidation roadmap and high capital expenditure plan. The post-budget meeting has been scheduled for February 11 where Sitharaman would be addressing the board members and talk about announcements made in the Budget 2023-24 to perk up growth in view of geopolitical tension and tightening interest environment by central banks across the world, sources said.

It is customary for the finance minister to address the Reserve Bank of India board after the budget.

“The revised estimate of the total receipts other than borrowings is Rs 24.3 lakh crore, of which the net tax receipts are Rs 20.9 lakh crore. The revised estimate of the total expenditure is Rs 41.9 lakh crore, of which the capital expenditure is about Rs 7.3 lakh crore,” she said in her Budget speech on Wednesday.

The fiscal deficit is estimated to be 5.9 per cent of GDP for the next financial year beginning April 1.

“In my Budget speech for 2021-22, I had announced that we plan to continue the path of fiscal consolidation, reaching a fiscal deficit below 4.5 per cent by 2025-26 with a fairly steady decline over the period. We have adhered to this path, and I reiterate my intention to bring the fiscal deficit below 4.5 per cent of GDP by 2025-26,” she said.