Veterans and fresh faces power Nirmala Sitharaman’s team for 9th Union Budget

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

• Nirmala Sitharaman to present her ninth consecutive budget
• Anuradha Thakur likely to lead budget coordination
• Budget date decision likely today; February 1 proposal moved

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As she gears up to present a record ninth consecutive budget, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman is relying on a mix of experienced hands and fresh faces.

For the first time in recent years, it is likely that there will be no finance secretary, a first among equals, with coordination of the exercise being handled by Anuradha Thakur, according to a report by Times of India.

Public enterprises secretary K Moses Chelai is the senior-most official among the departments involved, though his department has little direct bearing on the budget.

Just four officials from the previous budget team reportedly remain -- CBDT chairman Ravi Agrawal, Dipam secretary Arunish Chawla, financial services secretary M Nagaraju, and chief economic adviser V Anantha Nageswaran -- while the three key secretaries for expenditure, revenue and economic affairs took charge of their posts this summer.

While Vivek Chaturvedi became chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs in December, Vyasan R, the joint secretary in-charge of the budget division, stepped into his current assignment only recently.

Vyasan, however, is well-versed in the budget process, having been involved in it earlier. Revenue Secretary Arvind Shrivastava is another experienced figure, having led the budget division for several years before his tenure at the Prime Minister’s Office, where he took part in deliberations on the annual exercise that covers not just the Centre’s receipts and expenditure but also major policy and reform initiatives.

The date for the presentation of the budget is likely to be decided today, with the cabinet committee on parliamentary affairs set to meet later in the day, sources have informed Moneycontrol. A proposal to continue with the budget on February 1, which falls on a Sunday this year, has been moved, sources further said.

The budget session of Parliament is expected to start on January 28 with the customary address by the President to the joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.