New Delhi, Nov. 14 -- Suggestions for far-reaching structural changes rather than short-term sectoral gains dominated pre-budget consultations chaired by Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman with experts and stakeholders proposing fundamental bureaucratic reforms, tax on vacant land and dedicated world-class street vending areas to make India a developed nation by 2047, people familiar with the matter said. So far, three meetings have taken place since Monday and the government, experts, industries and invited stakeholders have all focused on the objective of making India a developed nation, they added, asking not to be named. The minister has thus far chaired three pre-budget consultation sessions covering economists, the agriculture sector, and the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). While some sectoral issues were also raised, most of the experts and stakeholders proposed transformational changes to achieve the long-term goal of making India a developed nation by 2047, they said. A participant in the meeting on agriculture, Bharat Krishak Samaj chairman Ajay Vir Jakhar proposed structural changes in bureaucratic structure. "There is a need to radically improve governance," he said in his representation. He suggested that there should be an age limit of 26 years for civil services and that candidates should be allowed only two attempts to clear the examination, as compared to the current six attempts (until 32 years old). In order to make bureaucracy transparent, all civil servants, including people's representatives, must declare conflicts of Interest, he added. Ashwani Mahajan, national co-convener of Swadeshi Jagaran Manch (SJM), said the government must undertake big reforms to become Aatmnirbha' (Self-reliant) by 2047. "There must be tax on vacant land as several entities, including companies hoard big land parcels and play on their rising value, without putting them into effective use," he said, adding that this will be easier with digital land-records. He was present in the first meeting on Monday. "Another suggestion is to develop designated street-vending infrastructure in cities along the lines of what Singapore has done. Street vendors are a crucial part of our economy, we must stop treating them like criminals. The PM has already taken initiatives such as granting them collateral-free loans, which can be extended further," he said....