Will Budget 2025-26 fulfil promises on fiscal deficit and reforms?

The big question is whether the finance minister will revert to the fiscal consolidation timelines or medium-term projections as provided under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act

With less than six weeks to go before Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presents the Union Budget for 2025-26, expectations regarding what she should do for the Indian economy are on the rise. In brief, many industry bodies and leaders expect her to undertake further fiscal consolidation along with measures that could help prop up the economy’s growth. But before taking a close look at all those expectations, it may be appropriate to situate Ms Sitharaman’s forthcoming Budget in a historical context.

 

This will be her seventh consecutive full Budget, and a record in itself. No other finance minister in India