Union Budget

Today's opinions examine India's critical-minerals strategy, FSSAI's food-warning labels, Budget discipline, the RBI's dollar-rupee swaps and lessons from industrial policy

The Finance Ministry will begin the exercise to prepare the Union Budget for 2027-28 from October 12 amid heightened global uncertainties and rising food and fuel prices. The Budget for the next financial year is expected to focus on the reform continuation exercise to further accelerate economic growth, along with measures to create jobs and boost domestic demand. "Pre-budget meetings chaired by Secretary (Expenditure) shall commence from October 12, 2026. Financial Advisers shall ensure that necessary details...are properly entered in UBIS (Union Budget Information System) before/latest by October 6, 2026," Budget circular 2027-28 issued by the Department of Economic Affairs said. Hard copies of the data in the specified formats should be submitted for cross-verification, it said. It will be the fourth budget of the Modi 3.0 government and the 10th straight Budget for Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, a rare distinction in Indian polity. The circular further said that pre-bud

Finance Ministry kicks off the FY28 Budget exercise, seeking realistic projections as rising subsidy costs and the West Asia crisis put pressure on government finances

Nirmal Purja's icy death has rekindled questions about safety, overcrowding and tourism in the mountains

India needs to move beyond simply expanding higher education and training more people and instead build a system that better connects education, skills and employment, NITI Aayog said in a report

An analysis of India's Budget speeches since Independence reveals a growing confidence in tone

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

Thirty-five years after the landmark 1991 Budget, India must revive the reform spirit with fresh policy changes, stronger institutions and wider reforms beyond the economy

Higher fuel prices and limited gas availability are affecting economic activities, which could result in lower overall tax collection and add further pressure on the Budget

Centre notifies South Coast Railway as the 18th zone after years of Odisha-Andhra Pradesh dispute, balancing freight interests and operational restructuring

From the education sector, faculty from the Indian School of Business and Shiv Nadar University are included in the committee

The Centre's fiscal deficit stood at Rs 12.52 lakh crore at the end of February, or 80.4 per cent of the annual budget target for 2025-26 compared to 85.8 per cent in the year-ago period, according to government data released on Monday. The central government estimates the fiscal deficit (the gap between expenditure and revenue) during 2025-26 at 4.4 per cent of GDP, or Rs 15.58 lakh crore. According to monthly accounts released by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA), the Centre's total receipts stood at Rs 27.91 lakh crore, or 82 per cent of the budget target by February-end 2026. The receipts included Rs 21.45 lakh crore tax revenue (net) and Rs 5.8 lakh crore non-tax revenue. The CGA data showed that the central government's total expenditure during April-February 2025-26 stood at Rs 40.44 lakh crore, or 81.5 per cent of the full financial year budget target.

India's 2026 policy framework recognises the importance of urban growth, but falls short of offering a cohesive, data-driven national urbanisation strategy to guide planning and investment

Despite a push to fill vacancies through Rozgar Melas and recruitment drives, India's Union government workforce has barely grown in a decade, highlighting limits in hiring capacity

Economy expands 7.8% in Q3; manufacturing shines bright

The meeting will be attended by senior officials from the Finance Industry Development Council, Sa-Dhan and Microfinance Industry Network

The Congress on Sunday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's interview with PTI was "no interview" and claimed that it was a "carefully scripted" as well as "desperate PR exercise". Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh further alleged that, being "under siege and attack because of his surrender to the US on the trade deal", the prime minister is now resorting to his "favourite tactic" of headline management. "The PM knows that this year's Budget has been a damp squib and shows every sign of intellectual exhaustion. Markets have reacted negatively and investors have been unimpressed. Hence, he feels the need to give an interview a fortnight after the Budget was presented and a few days after it was taken apart by the Opposition in Parliament," Ramesh said. "As usual, there are Modi-style one-liners that mean little in reality," the Congress leader said. Ramesh claimed that Modi is trying to divert attention away from his "betrayal" of lakhs of farmers and

As Budget debate triggers sharp exchanges in Parliament, Sitharaman rebuts DMK charges while the Opposition considers a no-confidence motion against Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla

Both Houses of Parliament are scheduled to begin discussion on the Union Budget 2026-27 on Monday, which was presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1.FM Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2026-27 in Lok Sabha, for the ninth consecutive time. Asserting that the Budget is driven by "Yuvashakti" and based on "three kartavyas," she proposed seven high-speed rail corridors, new dedicated freight corridors, and the operationalisation of 20 national waterways over the next five years.The Centre also announced an increase in the Securities Transaction Tax (STT) on futures and options (F & O) to discourage speculative trading.While the NDA has welcomed the Budget, the Opposition alleged an exclusion of the marginalised communities. The Secular Progressive Alliance, led by the DMK in Tamil Nadu, has called a protest against the Budget on February 12.While the Houses are scheduled for general discussion on the Budget, the Opposition MPs are likely to demand a ...