New Delhi, Nov 18 (IANS) Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday chaired the fifth round of pre-Budget consultations, this time engaging with key stakeholders from the country’s startup ecosystem as part of the ongoing preparations for the Union Budget 2026–27.

The meeting, held in the national capital forms a crucial element of the Finance Ministry’s wider consultation exercise aimed at gathering insights, expectations and sector-specific recommendations before the Budget is finalised.

According to a post shared by the Ministry of Finance on social media platform X, the discussions centred around the challenges and opportunities within the startup space, with participants presenting proposals to strengthen innovation, financing, and regulatory frameworks.

“Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman chairs the fifth Pre-Budget Consultation with the stakeholders from the startups ecosystem in connection with the forthcoming Union Budget 2026-27, in New Delhi,” the ministry said.

Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary, senior officials from the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the Department of Economic Affairs and the Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India were also present during the deliberations, underscoring the government’s multi-departmental approach to shaping the upcoming Budget.

This consultation comes after FM Sitharaman interacted with representatives from the capital markets in the fourth pre-Budget meeting, where issues related to investor sentiment, regulatory clarity and market stability were discussed.

Last week, the Finance Minister also held conversations with leading economists and later met stakeholders from the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector.

The Finance Ministry has lined up an intensive series of meetings with various sectors as part of a week-long pre-Budget exercise that began on November 18.

Consultations with the manufacturing sector are slated for later today.

On November 19, the focus will shift to the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) industry along with the information technology (IT) sector.

Stakeholders from tourism, hospitality and labour unions will meet the Finance Minister on November 20, followed by discussions with representatives from infrastructure, energy and urban development on November 21.

–IANS

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