​In this year's first Budget Webinar, I welcome you all. In the past few years, the Budget Webinar has become a strong tradition.

Often, the assessment of the budget is done on different parameters; sometimes there is talk on the movement of the Stock Market, sometimes the discussion remains centered on Income Tax proposals. The truth is that a national budget is not a short-term trading document; it is a policy roadmap.

Therefore, the assessment of the budget's effectiveness should also be done on solid parameters. Such policies that expand infrastructure, that make the flow of credit easy, that increase Ease of Doing Business, that increase transparency in governance, that make the lives of the public easy, and create new opportunities for them.

Decisions related to this in the budget give permanent strength to the economy, and the most important thing is that any Budget should not be seen in isolation or as a stand-alone. 

Nation Building is a continuous process. Every Budget is a stage towards moving to a bigger goal, and before us, that big goal is the year 2047, the building of a developed India by 2047. Every Reform, every allocation, every change should be seen only as a part of this long journey.

And therefore, these webinars held after the budget every year are very important. It is my expectation that these webinars do not remain limited only to the exchange of Ideas, but rather become an effective brainstorming exercise.

Suggestions based on your experience and practical challenges will certainly help in making economic strategies even better and in finding solutions. When Industry, Academia, Analysts, and Policymakers think together, then the implementation of schemes becomes better, and results become more accurate. This is the sentiment behind this series of webinars.