New Delhi: Finance Minister Jaswant Singh on October 22 virtually laid the roadmap for the next Budget saying that he would give topmost priority to economic reforms including taxation in a bid to push up growth and contain fiscal deficit.

"Revival of capital market by removing weaknesses, containing fiscal deficit, revival of manufacturing sector, tax reforms and pushing capital investment in agriculture would get topmost priority," Singh said asserting that reforms would be given new thrust through continuity in policy.

"We are very clear in our mind, we must enhance production, increase gross domestic product (GDP), put more money in citizens' pockets and housewives' purse," he said, adding, "None of this was possible without reforms."

"Reforms is synonymous with growth. There is no ambiguity in this. Growth through reforms is government's priority," Singh told Doordarshan when asked what would be his priority in the remaining two years of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.

PTI