The Union Finance Minister ,Shri Arun Jaitley held the Pre-Budget consultations with the Finance Ministers of all the States and UTs (with Legislature) at Vigyan Bhawan in the national capital today.Both the Ministers of State for Finance were also present. The Meeting was attended among others by the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh and Puducherry, the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Manipur and Tamil Nadu,14 Finance Ministers / Ministers representing their States and Senior Officers from States.

Representatives from the State Governments presented their views and offered number of suggestions on various fiscal policy and budgetary measures that the Union Government may consider.

The Union Finance Minister Shri Jaitley stated that the suggestions made by the States / UTs in the meeting and the memorandam submitted by them would be duly examined and suitably considered while formulating the Budget proposals of 2018-19, keeping in consideration with the spirit of cooperative federalism.

Cooperative federalism: pre-budget state consultations inform federal budget formulation, with state suggestions to be examined and considered. Pre-budget consultations convened at Vigyan Bhawan enabled state and UT finance ministers and senior officials to present fiscal policy suggestions; the Union Finance Minister stated that those suggestions and memoranda would be examined and suitably considered in formulating the 2018-19 Budget, guided by the principle of cooperative federalism.