The move comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week pitched for shifting fiscal year to January- December

Becoming the first state in India, Madhya Pradesh state government today took a decision to change its financial year format to calendar year i.e January-December starting 2018, as against the current practice of April-March cycle.

"The state cabinet in its meeting chaired by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today decided to shift the fiscal year January to December. So, now the budget session of the next FY would be held in December-January," Moneycontrol report said quoting state Public Relations Minister Narottam Mishra after the cabinet meeting.

The move comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week pitched for shifting fiscal year to January- December.

Addressing the Niti Aayog Governing Council's third meeting, which was attended by several state chief ministers, the prime minister had asked the states to take the initiative in this regard.

Referring to the change in the budget dates, he said in a country where agricultural income is exceedingly important, budgets should be prepared immediately after the receipt of agricultural incomes for the year.

Later, briefing reporters about the meeting, Niti Aayog vice chairman Arvind Panagariya said the prime minister wants that "we should think of January-December financial year as this is appropriate from the point of view of farmers".

"Niti Aayog is working on a 15-year long term vision, 7-year medium-term strategy, and 3-year action agenda," Modi said, adding the vision of 'New India' can only be realised through the combined efforts and cooperation of all the states.

Niti Aayog in a paper advocated the move last year to change the financial year to Jan-Dec. It said the reason for shifting the financial year to calendar year was also due to difficulties the government faced in collecting statistical data with regard to monsoons and agriculture income.

With PTI inputs