The Story
The Desk Behind the Budget
"Long before a Finance Minister presents the Union Budget, it is the Finance Secretary's office that has shaped it."
The Finance Secretaries of India Theme File traces the office from colonial-era administrators like Arthur Cecil McWatters through post-Independence economists like Bimal Jalan — 30 individuals across 53 notes.
This is one of the least publicly visible offices in Indian government, yet one of the most consequential to the economy day to day.
"30 Finance Secretaries. Decades of budgets shaped behind the scenes."
