Nirmala Sitharaman

The finance minister said government support should go beyond funding, with technologies having relevant public applications deployed quickly in districts and public facilities

The finance minister said public funds should catalyse private investment, while stable policy frameworks and multilateral institutions must help reduce investment risks

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday termed communists in India as "total cowards" while lashing out at CPI (M) member John Brittas, accusing him of spreading confusion in the country over the charging of fees on UPI payments. In her reply to the discussion on The Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, in the Rajya Sabha, Sitharaman took exception to Brittas walking out of the house without listening to her reply after he made allegations while moving a resolution to disapprove of the Income-Tax (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, promulgated on June 5, 2026. Brittas alleged that the government has decided to charge fees on UPI payments due to pressure from the US, just like it was exerted on Brazil, and was going against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assertion that "India's digital payment ecosystem had been developed as a free public good". The CPI (M) member, who was allowed to move his resolution by Deputy Chairman Harivansh after a brief commotion, had walked out wh

Adds economy became top of agenda only circa 2000

The government aims to bring customs duty on most items to single-digit rates by the FY28 Budget while continuing tariff rationalisation and asset-focused borrowing

The government proposes restoring tax-free REIT and InvIT dividends while raising the surcharge on SPVs to keep the changes revenue-neutral

Indian economy is set to cross USD 5-trillion mark in FY29 as per the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the government has adopted a broad-based growth strategy to achieve the milestone, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. As per the World Economic Outlook database (April 2026) published by the IMF, India's GDP at current prices is projected to be around USD 5.1 trillion by 2028-29, she said in a written reply. "The government has adopted a broad-based growth strategy focusing on enhancing agricultural productivity, promoting manufacturing, supporting MSMEs, expanding infrastructure, improving logistics and ease of doing business, creating an efficient and streamlined tax system through income tax and GST reforms, fostering innovation and digitalisation, strengthening human capital, and ensuring energy security," she said. The strategy is complemented by sustained emphasis on public capital expenditure, liberalising the FDI regime, boosting ..

Finance ministry says Bill aims to provide stable and predictable tax treatment, simplify compliance, and make India more attractive for global investment and manufacturing

The Lok Sabha will take up the Bankers' Books Evidence Bill, 2026 for consideration and passage, a day after it was introduced in the House

The government on Monday introduced a Bill to replace British era legislation with the objective to include digital and virtual records as admissible evidence in the court of law in sync with digital dependence of the banking system. The Bill was introduced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Lok Sabha. The new law to be called the Bankers' Books Evidence Act, 2026 is going to repeal or replace the Bankers' Books Evidence Act, 1891. "With the advancement of technology and growth of digital banking, bank records are increasingly created, stored and maintained using contemporary technology (instead of physical record). It has, therefore, become necessary to modernise and strengthen the existing legal framework to meet the requirements of the present banking system," the statement of objects and reasons of the Bill said. The bill proposes to expand the scope of the definition of 'bankers' books' to include all forms of records maintained by banks, whether in physical, ...

Monday's agenda also includes a statement by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presenting the Demands for Excess Grants for 2022-23

The proposed law will replace the 1891 Act, expand the definition of bankers' books and provide a technology-neutral legal framework for financial records.

FM Nirmala Sitharaman says the government has adequate fiscal buffers to tackle risks from the West Asia conflict and sees no need to revise Budget estimates

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday urged the Income Tax department to work for the benefit of common people without making them run from pillar to post. She also went public with her disappointment at the "laidback" nature of government departments, which leads to illegal occupation or encroachments on government lands and underlined the need for integrity in conduct from all officials. Citing the challenges faced by the department in getting permissions to construct a building in the Nariman Point business district, which she inaugurated on Sunday, Sitharaman said these experiences, despite serving in the Indian Revenue Service (IRS), would have given them an idea of what the common man goes through. An IRS officer has the name of the Income Tax department behind him, a "powerful force to frighten people", Sitharaman reminded, adding that despite this, the officials had to run from pillar to post to get clearances from authorities to proceed with work on the 13-flo

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the tax department must strengthen litigation management and prevent disputes as over 5.4 lakh first appeals remain pending

FM Nirmala Sitharaman said the government's response ensured arrests, a timely re-examination and prompt declaration of results, allowing students to move ahead with admissions.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said the rupee's value against the US dollar is market-determined and there is no target or specific band for the domestic currency. "The government closely tracks the trends in key economic parameters, including exchange rate movements, along with their implications for economic growth and fiscal stability. These issues are discussed at various fora at various levels of the government," she said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha. On Tuesday, the rupee pared initial losses and settled 12 paise higher at 96.24 (provisional). Traders attribute the recovery to RBI's intervention. Sitharaman said the value of the rupee is market-determined, with no target or specific level or band, and RBI regularly monitors the foreign exchange market and intervenes in situations of excess volatility. Further, the RBI monitors key developments across the globe which may have an impact on the USD-INR exchange rate, she said. Various measures have been

The rupee weakened as initial FCNR(B) deposit inflows fell short of market expectations, though analysts said it was too early to assess the success of the RBI's measures

The Centre has asked state-run banks to intensify efforts to mobilise NRI deposits as policymakers seek to strengthen foreign exchange reserves

Lenders report encouraging response from Singapore, HK, Gulf, UK, US; ECB inflows seen picking up in Q3 FY27