FM Sitharaman holds separate pre-Budget meeting with start-ups for the first time

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

“Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. @nsitharaman chairs the fifth Pre-Budget consultation with the stakeholders from the startups ecosystem in connection with the forthcoming Union Budget 2026-27, in New Delhi, today,” the Ministry of Finance announced on Tuesday on its social media handles.  

Prior to this, Ms. Sitharaman has so far held pre-budget consultative meetings with leading 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 groups before almost each of the previous eight budgets she has presented, The Hindu has confirmed with the Ministry of Finance that this is the first time she has met representatives of the startup industry in a separate meeting. 

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

On behalf of the Government of India, the meeting was also 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.