SINGAPORE - This year's Budget statement will be delivered next Tuesday (Feb 16) at 3pm by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat.
The Straits Times will be providing live coverage as Mr Heng announces the details in Parliament.
There will also be live-streaming of his speech and a live blog on the ST website, as well as a Budget microsite and updates on ST's Facebook, Telegram and Twitter accounts.
With nearly $100 billion committed in Covid-19 support measures from five Budgets last year, this year's Budget is likely to be highly targeted, with resources directed at vulnerable segments of society and the worst-hit sectors.
Mr Heng, who is also Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies and Minister for Finance, said last Friday that helping workers and firms adapt, innovate and grow will be a key priority for Budget 2021.
In view of the evolving Covid-19 situation, post-Budget outreach and engagement plans, such as chit-chat sessions with residents, may be adjusted to ensure public health, the Ministry of Finance (MOF), the People's Association (PA) and government feedback unit Reach said in a joint statement on Monday (Feb 8). Updates will be posted by MOF, Reach and the PA on their websites or social media channels.
After Mr Heng's delivery of the Budget statement, members of the public can also submit their views through various online channels, including the Reach Budget 2021 microsite and Reach Singapore Facebook page.
Reach will also hold two virtual Budget conversations - in English on Feb 19 and in Mandarin on Feb 20.
The English session will be chaired by Education Minister and Second Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong, while the Mandarin session will be chaired by Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing. They will be joined by Reach chairman Tan Kiat How, who is also Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of National Development, for both sessions.
In addition, Reach will have physical listening points set up at various high traffic nodes across Singapore to gather views on Budget 2021.
Separately, the Ministry of Trade and Industry said on Monday that it will release the Economic Survey of Singapore 2020 on Feb 15 at 8am. The report will include the overall performance of the economy, sectoral performance, sources of growth, inflation and employment for the fourth quarter and whole of 2020.
