Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday held an informal meeting with industrialists in Chennai and heard their views and suggestions on the Union Budget 2021.
The meeting saw participation from businessmen from various sectors, including Venu Srinivasan, chairman, TVS Motor Company; Gopal Srinivasan, chairman, TVS Capital; R. Dinesh, MD, TVS Supply Chain Solutions; Hari Thiagarajan, executive director, Thiagarajar Mills Private Limited; Arun Alagappan, executive vice-chairman, Coromandel International; Rahul Mammen, managing director, MRF; and Sanjay Jayavarthanavelu, chairman and managing director, Lakshmi Machine Works, among others.
Sources at the meeting said the industrialists spoke about their sectors, and some also raised issues related to import duty.
N. Srinivasan, vice-chairman and managing director of India Cements, who also attended the meeting, said, “The budget will spur growth. I told her that during this calendar year itself (2021), all the industries, including manufacturing industries, will be running towards full capacity.”
R.G. Chandramogan, chairman, Hatsun Agro Products, said he highlighted certain issues in the agriculture sector.
“I also suggested how universities and industry (especially private players) can work together. Research done by universities should not just stay on paper, they must be asked to provide tangible results in the field.”
Rahul Mammen, managing director, MRF, appreciated the way the government handled the COVID-19 pandemic and also put the economy back on track.
A few others said the Finance Minister had said she would look into the issues that were pointed out in the meeting.
