India to Host Two-Day Meeting on Financial Strategies for Developed India Initiative

New Delhi, September 17 (Daily Kiran) : The Indian Finance Ministry is set to host a two-day conference focused on “Financing the Journey to a Developed India,” beginning Friday in New Delhi. This meeting will bring together finance ministers and secretaries from various states and union territories.

According to an official statement released on Thursday, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will be in attendance, along with several chief ministers, finance ministers, and senior officials from different states.

The primary goal of the conference is to enhance policy complementarity between the central and state governments. It will serve as a platform for discussing the financial challenges and policy priorities associated with India’s development journey, combining academic insights with practical policy experiences.

During the inaugural session, Anuradha Thakur, Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs, will outline the objectives of the conference. The keynote address will be delivered by N.K. Singh, former chairman of the 15th Finance Commission and current president of the Institute of Economic Growth. Additionally, Sudhir Srivastava, former additional chief secretary and finance secretary of the Maharashtra government, will present the states’ perspective on financing a developed India.

The conference will feature three major thematic sessions, covering macroeconomic overviews, financing for agricultural transformation, and financing for energy transition. Background documents have been provided to participants, addressing topics such as economic achievements and roadmaps towards a developed India, private financing for the initiative, and the impact of GST 2.0 on states.

Further discussions will delve into financing for agricultural markets and marketing, resilience in Indian agriculture, sustainable resource use, renewable energy, and carbon capture, utilization, and storage.

The statement also noted that Saurabh Garg, Secretary of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, will highlight the importance of measuring developmental outcomes in the journey towards a developed India. Additionally, S. Krishnan, Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, will share insights on the role of new technologies in good governance.