New Delhi, Nov. 18 -- Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday chaired the fifth Pre-Budget Consultation with stakeholders from the startups ecosystem in New Delhi, as part of the government's preparations for the union Budget 2026-27.

The meeting was attended by union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary, Secretaries of the Department of Economic Affairs, and Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India.

These consultations are part of a series of meetings being held by the Finance Ministry with various stakeholders, including economists, farm experts, capital market representatives, and micro small, and medium enterprises representatives, and industry associations, to gather suggestions and inputs for the upcoming b...