Finance Minister to soon announce next set of stimulus package: Economic Affairs Secretary

04 Nov 2020 Evaluate

Economic Affairs Secretary Tarun Bajaj has said that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will soon announce the next set of stimulus package to boost the coronavirus-hit economy. He added that the Finance Ministry is looking into suggestions and requests received from various sectors of the economy. He said ‘We are actually discussing that. It is difficult for me to commit a date but we have received a lot of requests and comments from various sectors and we are looking into it. Very soon it will be unveiled. The finance minister will come out and speak to you on that’.

The finance minister last month had announced a slew of measures to spur demand and ramp-up capital expenditure. This was the third stimulus package since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The government had announced a Rs 1.70 lakh crore Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKP) in March to protect the poor and vulnerable sections from the impact of COVID-19 crisis. It was followed by the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan package of Rs 20.97 lakh crore in May, largely focussed on supply-side measures and long-term reforms. The finance minister last month had said the option for another stimulus package has not been closed.

Terming elevated food prices a temporary phenomenon, Bajaj said it should be back to normal soon on the back of arrival of new crops and government measures for improving supply of essential commodities. Some commodities like onion, potato and tomato are as costly as Rs 100 per kg, much higher than the average price. He said ‘I think this should be temporary in our view... There is actually a difference between the WPI and the CPI. So, that itself shows that this should be something to do with logistics and with good agricultural season that is coming and the new crop with us we are hoping that this should cool down’. Nevertheless, he said agriculture and consumer affairs ministries have also announced some steps to cool down the prices.

On the recovery, Bajaj said India continues to see an uptick in the economy for the past few months since the unlock began and there would be further improvement in the months to come. He added ‘We are actually seeing an improvement in all parameters generally and we are expecting further improvement in the month of November and this should continue. Hopefully the economy should be back on rails and it is moving much faster than what had been anticipated by a lot of experts and economists’.

© 2026 The Alchemists Ark Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved. MoneyWorks4Me ® is a registered trademark of The Alchemists Ark Pvt. Ltd.

×