FM Sitharaman holds separate pre-Budget assembly with start-ups for the primary time

For the primary time, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday (November 18, 2025) held a separate assembly with startup founders and representatives as a part of her pre-Budget consultations. 

“Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. @nsitharaman chairs the fifth Pre-Budget session with the stakeholders from the startups ecosystem in reference to the forthcoming Union Budget 2026-27, in New Delhi, at present,” the Ministry of Finance introduced on Tuesday on its social media handles.  

Prior to this, Ms. Sitharaman has thus far held pre-budget consultative conferences with main economists, representatives from farmer associations and agriculture economists, stakeholders from micro, small and medium enterprises, and stakeholders from the capital markets.

While the Finance Minister has met with these teams earlier than virtually every of the earlier eight budgets she has introduced, The Hindu has confirmed with the Ministry of Finance that that is the primary time she has met representatives of the startup trade in a separate assembly. 

It has been learnt that the assembly was attended by representatives of Teal India, eVidyaloka, BoAt, Miko, Daalchini Technologies, IIMK Live, 100percent Nourishment, Gaja Capital, and Draftspotting Technologies, amongst others. 

On behalf of the Government of India, the assembly was additionally attended by Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade Secretary Amardeep Singh Bhatia, Department of Economic Affairs Secretary Anuradha Thakur, and Chief Economic Adviser V. Anantha Nageswaran.