New Delhi, Jan 19 (KNN) Union Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman held the pre-budget consultations meeting with state finance ministers who suggested steps to revive growth and boost revenue collection against the backdrop of COVID-19 crisis.

The Finance Ministry in a statement on Monday said the meeting was held through video conference and was attended by chief ministers, deputy chief ministers, finance ministers, ministers and senior officers from the states and Union Territories and the Union Government.

During the meet Sitharaman highlighted the importance of this meeting as a sign of cooperative federalism and indicated the manner in which the Union Government was strongly supportive of States/Union Territories (with Legislature) fighting against the pandemic. Most participants thanked the Union Finance Minister for financially supporting their States/Union Territories during the worst months of the pandemic, by enhancing borrowing limits and providing back to back loans to States, the statement said.

''The participants also gave numerous suggestions to the Union Finance Minister for inclusion in the Budget Speech,'' it added.

Reportedly, along with the Finance Minister, Finance Secretary A B Pandey, Expenditure Secretary T V Somanathan, Economic Affairs Secretary Tarun Bajaj, Chief Economic Adviser K V Subramanian and senior officers were also present.