#Budget2022: Know the members who prepared the Budget this year
All eyes are on Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who is set to present her fourth Budget on Tuesday (February 1). The Budget Session of the Parliament had commenced on Monday with the president's speech. Besides the FM, several members are part of the team that prepares the Budget. Here is a brief about all the members who prepared it this time.
TV Somanathan
Somanathan—who holds a Ph.D. in economics—is a 1987-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the Tamil Nadu cadre. He currently serves as the Expenditure Secretary as well as the Finance Secretary. He has previously worked at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) between 2015 and 2017. He has reportedly been pushing ministries to spend more of their capital expenditure to ensure growth amid COVID-19.
Tarun Bajaj
Tarun Bajaj is a 1988-batch IAS officer from the Haryana cadre, currently serving as the Revenue Secretary of the Ministry of Finance. He is a former economic affairs secretary and has worked with the PMO for five years. This year, his department is expected to set realistic tax targets, ease tax compliances, and announce relief for businesses and sectors hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ajay Seth
Ajay Seth—the economic affairs secretary—is a 1987-batch IAS officer from the Karnataka cadre. He has previously served as Deputy Secretary and Director in the Department of Expenditure and Department of Economic Affairs between 2000 and 2004. He is also behind the drafting of the Budget 2022 speech. This year, his department will likely allocate money to projects to produce revenue and create jobs.
Tuhin Kanta Pandey
Pandey, the secretary of the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM), is a 1987-batch officer from the Punjab cadre. He has reportedly played a key role in the disinvestment of Air India, which was recently concluded. In the coming year, his department's focus would be the privatization of Bharat Petroleum, Concor, Shipping Corp, as well as the initial public offering of LIC.
Debashish Panda
Panda is a 1987-batch IAS officer and currently leads the Department of Financial Services. He is known for the revival of public sector offices. He has been credited with the performance of banks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, all the financial sector-related announcements including any further plans of recapitalization expected in the Budget 2022, are the responsibility of his department.
