The Institute of Social and Cultural Studies (ISCS), India as an autonomous Think Tank, has been corresponding on versatile matters related to trade, economy, connectivity, development, culture and social perspectives. In order to review how the Central Budget Proposal 2023-2024 delivered by India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman poses a multi-dimensional approach and an inclusive growth, an interactive session was organized by the institute on 11th February, 2023 at the RTC, ICCR, Kolkata from 5 pm onwards. The Interactive Session was addressed by Shri Arindam Mukherjee, Director, ISCS, India who commemorated the event while felicitating the guests and delivering his welcome address. Followed to which the Chairperson of the event Shri N.G. Khaitan – President, Bharat Chamber of Commerce shared his valuable observation, especially how the Central Budget 2023 has allocated funds and had laid opportunities to MSMEs, created job opportunities, ramped up capital spending on roads and connectivity hence reviews lucrative for the investors.

The Distinguished Speakers included Dr. Ranajoy Bhattacharyya, Head Economics Division, Indian Institute for Foreign Trade (IIFT), Shri Shantanu Som, Founder and CEO, Somnetics (Som Imaging Informatics) and Smt. Soma Banerjee, Director Business Brio, Member of Steering Committee- NASSCOM, 10000 Start-Ups. Over interaction with the Chairperson the Distinguished Speakers discussed how the central budget 2023-2024 could compensate the losses ushered during the pandemic in the country and how it promotes scope for the women entrepreneurship and economic mainstreaming of women through vibrant and secured schemes. The Speakers did highlight how the Central Budget 2023- 2024 could secure a pro development provisions
including sustainable planning and energy transition, Inclusive growth through tech enabled economy, impetus to EV sector, securing exemptions to lithium iron cells from paying tax duty, fill viability gap funding to support battery energy storage system. The Speakers asserted that the given budget would enable India’s plan to become an engine for global growth and deploy digital as leading India’s development. The event initiated an interaction between the participants and the speakers and marked its valedictory by the Programme Administrator of the institute.