Union Budget

Over a third of the FY26 SASCI fund has been released for 4,106 state projects, with Uttar Pradesh leading approvals and Nagaland remaining the only non-participant

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday chaired her tenth pre-budget consultation, engaging key leaders from the energy and infrastructure sectors ahead of Union Budget 2026-27

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday met experts from infrastructure and energy to elicit their views on the forthcoming Budget for FY27. Those present at the meeting include Afcons Managing Director S Paramasivan, Shapoorji Pallonji Infrastructure Capital Director Manish Tripathi, GMR Group Deputy Managing Director K Narayanarao, JM BAXI Group Director Sandeep Wadhwa and Infravision Foundation CEO Jagan Shah, among others. "Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. @nsitharaman chairs the 11th Pre-Budget Consultation with the experts from the #Infrastructure and #Energy Sectors in connection with the forthcoming Union Budget 2026-27, in New Delhi, today. "The meeting was also attended by Secretaries of @MinOfPower; @shipmin_India; @MORTHIndia; Chairman of Railway Board; and the Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India," the Ministry of Finance said in a social media post on X. Sitharaman is likely to present the Budget on February 1. She will present

Innovation fund for deep tech collabs, setting up of labs and 100% deduction on capex under section 35 AD of IT Act among key demands

The dilemma over the date of presentation aside, there is yet another reason why Ms Sitharaman's forthcoming Budget will be treated as a major event of historical significance

CII, Ficci, Assocham and PHDCCI have made common recommendations for Budget 2026-27, seeking predictable tax rules, rationalised TDS slabs, and faster resolution of pending appeals

Industry body calls for clearing ₹18 trillion in pending tax appeals, TDS rationalisation and tax neutrality for fast-track demergers ahead of Union Budget 2026

Despite record capex and growth, the national transporter faces financial sustainability challenges with a precarious operating ratio and slowing incremental freight traffic

The practice of fixing annual divestment targets in the budgets was designed to tap an additional revenue source to contain the revenue deficit

Raising the FDI limit in insurance to 100 per cent will help the sector achieve its full potential by growing at 7.1 per cent per annum over the next 5 years, outpacing the global growth, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed Parliament on Monday. The finance minister in Union Budget 2025-26 had proposed to raise the limit of foreign investment in insurance sector from the existing 74 per cent to 100 per cent. Raising the limit will eliminate the need for foreign investors to find Indian partners for the remaining 26 per cent, easing the process of setting up their operations in India, effectively increasing the number of insurers in the country, she said in a written reply to Lok Sabha. This will attract stable and sustained foreign investment, increase competition, facilitate technology transfer, and improve insurance penetration in the country, she said. The decision to increase FDI component in a particular insurance company is made by its promoters, depending upon vario

The deeper question, however, is whether India's human capital is prepared for a shift up the value chain

Railways increased fares slightly after five years, easing financial strain while keeping passenger impact low; experts call it necessary

Fund houses have launched debt-arbitrage FoFs to attract investors in higher tax brackets

Talks ongoing with Fortune 500 firms to set up new centres

The issuance of such bonds remains muted due to several challenges, such as collaboration between banks and insurance firms, data sharing, and regulatory parity, among others

Capital expenditure for FY 2024-2025 at Rs 10.5 trillion stood at 103.3 per cent of the revised estimate for the year, CGA data showed

A GoM headed by Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary is looking into the future of compensation cess beyond March 2026

On changes in the CLNDA too, many felt that the current law, which exposes suppliers to unlimited liability in case of accidents, is a deterrent for investors

India and the UK are trying to speed up discussions on the trade agreement amid fast-changing geopolitical landscape and America's protectionist trade policies

The pilot of the scheme was launched on October 3, 2024. The MCA will have to get the Cabinet's approval for the launch of the full scheme