New Delhi, Oct. 19 -- Come budget time and demands for concessions, special interest giveaways, tax cuts and so on start filling up the finance minister's inbox. Lobbies get particularly active during this period, preparing white papers for their clients, submitting briefing notes to key bureaucrats or ministers and courting the media to amplify their voice.

The finance ministry convenes separate meetings with economists, industry representatives, agriculturists, medium-and- small-scale sector leaders, bank chiefs and executives from the broader financial sector. All their proposals and pleas are heard, discussed, recorded and compiled.

Some outlandish demands are binned even before the day is over. But most suggestions are put through ...