Finance mandarins in retreat before Budget

We will not incur any major expenses, say officials

The Finance ministry has plans to send the officials on a retreat, allowing them to enjoy a bit of tranquillity and have lively discussions with Bollywood celebrities like Aamir Khan.

Three-day excercise

Officials above the rank of deputy secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs, which plays the lead role in preparing the Budget, will be heading for a three-day long “mind-freshening” retreat on the outskirts of the Capital from Saturday.

During the retreat Aamir Khan, whose performance in the just released Bollywood blockbuster “3 Idiots” cheered the hearts of millions, will talk to the mandarins of the Finance Ministry on "Cinema and Society."  

"The idea is to give them a break from file work, so that they would give their best in preparing the blue print for the next fiscal," a source in the Finance Ministry told Deccan Herald.

“This has been the practice for the past two years and we would send our officials on a retreat this year too,” sources said.  The retreat is being held at the National Institute of Financial Management, Faridabad, which is located in a serene spot.

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The previous two annual retreats were held at the popular tourist spots of Surajkund and Sohna near Delhi.

A less expensive spot has been chosen in the Capital's outskirts this year in order to curb the spending. "We want to spend minimum while refurbishing the minds of our officials on the eve of Budget preparation," sources said.

 "We will hardly incur any expense on accommodation as our officials will stay in the institute's hostel. The only expenses are on transport and food. It will also be minimal as we will avail of bus facility and have food at the hostel mess," sources said.  

 Apart from Aamir Khan's talk, the Finance Ministry officials will have interactive sessions with leading relaxation experts.