Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has emphasised the government’s commitment to fiscal discipline. Speaking at the  Kautilya Economic Conclave 2024 in New Delhi this morning, the Finance Minister said, the fiscal deficit is estimated to decline further from 5.6 per cent in Financial Year 2024 to 4.9 per cent in 2025. She added that the commitment to fiscal discipline will not only help keep bond yields in check but will translate to lower economy-wide borrowing costs.

The Finance Minister also said the poor, Women, Youth and Farmers are the largest stakeholders and beneficiaries of the growth process towards Viksit Bharat. She noted that by 2047, the Viksit Bharat will usher prosperity not just to Indians but to the rest of the world by becoming central to a vibrant exchange of ideas, technology and culture.