Chidambaram, who has served as the finance minister four times, said the Budget failed "the test of economic strategy and economic statesmanship"
In India, unlike China, Apple was concerned that if it paid for machines for its contract manufacturers, Indian law could consider that a so-called "business connection" and impose taxes
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Union Budget, aligned with India's recent trade deals, provides unprecedented support to MSMEs, sunrise sectors and infrastructure, laying the foundation for jobs
Budget's priority seems to be to reinforce India's long term growth narrative while maintain a tight balancing act as far as fiscal discipline is concerned.
Budget 2026: The Budget lays out new schemes and higher spending on infrastructure, technology, healthcare and jobs, while offering support for industry and students
The central government raises its money from a mix of taxes, borrowings, and other receipts, while it is spent on states, interest payments and pensions
The exemptions are aimed at simplifying tax rates, supporting domestic manufacturing, boosting exports, and removing old duty exemptions that are no longer needed
With US tariffs hitting Indian exports, Budget 2026-27 doubles down on manufacturing, capex and targeted relief for tariff-hit sectors
Sitharaman said that the focus will be on tier-2 and tier-3 cities so that growth is not limited to big metros
Aditi Nayar analyses the Budget's fiscal prudence, higher public capex via states, a 4.3 per cent deficit target, debt consolidation, and the impact of higher gross borrowings on bond yields
Budget 2026 | Stock Market LIVE Updates on February 1, 2026: FM Sitharaman on Sunday has raised STT on future trades to 0.05 per cent from 0.02 per cent under Budget 2026.
The Union Budget presented by Nirmala Sitharaman removes a key cost barrier for nuclear projects as India prepares for a major capacity expansion and opens the sector to private participation
Capital expenditure has been raised to ₹12.2 lakh crore (~9 per cent YoY), reinforcing the infrastructure- and manufacturing-led growth strategy without resorting to populist fiscal slippage
The Budget Estimate for the CIC and PESB in 2025-26 was higher at ₹42.49 crore
She also said the government has proposed a joint panel of Corporate Affairs Ministry and CBDT for incorporation of income computation and disclosure standards
The 15th Finance Commission recommended a share of states in the central taxes to be 41 per cent, and the 16th Finance Commission has retained the vertical share of devolution
All the PSU Bank index constituents were trading lower, with Bank of India, Bank Maharashtra, Indian Bank, Bank of Baroda, and Union Bank of India falling in the range of 3 to 7 per cent
The government will now focus on Tier-II and Tier-III cities, and even temple-towns, which need modern infrastructure and basic amenities, said FM Sitharaman
Union Budget 2026 stays focused on fiscal prudence, targets a 4.3% deficit, sustains ₹12.2 trillion capex, and backs rare earths, freight corridors, waterways and data centres, writes Madan Sabnavis
Union Budget 2026: The Centre plans a high-powered panel to assess how AI is changing services, employment and skills, while aiming to raise India's global share in services to 10% by 2047