Page 18 - Budget 2026

Budget 2026: Govt to set up 5 medical tourism hubs, train 150K caregivers

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced measures in the Union Budget 2026-27 to boost medical tourism, including support for five regional hubs in partnership with states and the private sector

What are the three kartavyas guiding FM Sitharaman's Budget 2026 vision?

Union Budget 2026: Presenting the Union Budget, FM Nirmala Sitharaman outlined three kartavyas to boost economic growth, and ensure inclusive access to opportunities

From animation labs to hostels: Key education announcements in Budget 2026

Union Budget 2026 also announced a high-level standing committee to strengthen links between education, employment and enterprise, with a focus on services-led growth and future skill needs

FM proposes incentives of ₹100 cr for single municipal bond issuances

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday proposed incentives of Rs 100 crore for single bond issuance by municipal corporations of more than Rs 1,000 crore. She also announced restructuring of REC Ltd (formerly Rural Electrification Corporation) and Power Finance Corporation (PFC) as part of the government's public sector financial institution strengthening. The minister proposed setting up high-level committee on 'Banking for Viksit Bharat'. She said the country's banking sector is characterised by a strong balance sheet, historic high profitability. In her Budget speech, she proposed to review foreign exchange management non-debt instruments rules. She added that close to 25 crore people have come out of multi-dimensional poverty.

Budget 2026: Electronics manufacturing outlay doubled to ₹40,000 crore

Union Budget 2026-27: FM Nirmala Sitharaman announced several new manufacturing schemes in the Budget 2026 to boost domestic production

Budget 2026: FM Sitharaman announces ₹10,000 crore SME growth fund

Union Budget 2026 proposes ₹10,000 crore SME growth fund and expands TReDS-backed liquidity measures and compliance support to help small businesses scale up and improve access to finance

Budget 2026: Rare-earth hubs to be set up in Odisha, Kerala, Andhra, TN

FM Nirmala Sitharaman's Union Budget 2026 has proposed supporting Odisha, Kerala, Andhra and Tamil Nadu for dedicated rare-earth corridors for mining, research, and production of rare-earth magnets

Budget impact: Gokaldas, Kitex, Trident, Arvind soar up to 8%; here's why

Textile-related stocks rally: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Budget 2026 proposed to set-up mega textile parks to focus on value addition in technical textiles.

Budget 2026: What to read after FM Sitharaman's address and why it matters

This year's Union Budget speech is expected to focus on continuity and long-term goals rather than major surprises

Budget 2026: FM Sitharaman proposes ₹10,000 cr SME fund, mega textile parks

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday proposed to set up a Rs 10,000 crore fund to create champion small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to boost the economy. Presenting Union Budget 2026-27, she also proposed a scheme for container manufacturing to create globally competitive ecosystem. Also, mega textile parks with focus on value addition to technical textiles would be set up. The budget also proposed setting up mega textile parks with focus on value addition to technical textiles and an integrated textile programme with five sub-parts, she stated. The finance minister said India has the potential to emerge as a global hub for high-quality affordable sports goods. She also proposed Mahatma Gandhi Gram Swaraj initiative to strengthen Khadi handloom. Besides, there would be a scheme to revive 200 legacy industrial clusters.

Budget impact: Container Corporation jumps 4% on proposed ₹10,000 cr outlay

Budget 2026 impact: Container Corporation rose over 4 per cent after the FM proposed ₹10,000 crore outlay for container manufacturing in the Union Budget.

Budget 2026: Capex target will be raised to ₹12.2 trn for FY27, says FM

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday said the target for capex will be raised to Rs 12.2 lakh crore for FY27 from Rs 11.2 lakh crore earmarked for the current fiscal year and announced a slew of measures to boost infrastructure in the country. Presenting the Union Budget for 2026-27 in the Lok Sabha, she said the government will continue to develop infrastructure in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. The government also proposes to set up risk guarantee fund for infrastructure sector, she added. A scheme for enhancement for construction and infrastructure equipment will be introduced to strengthen domestic manufacturing, Sitharaman said. The government also proposes to support professional institutions like ICAI, ICSI to design short-term modular courses, she added.

Why Budget 2026 GDP and inflation numbers may change within weeks

Key GDP and inflation metrics will be revised in February as MoSPI updates base years, meaning several assumptions underpinning Budget 2026 will be recalculated soon after the speech

Union Budget 2026 bets ₹10,000 crore on domestic container manufacturing

Union Budget 2026 outlines a ₹10,000 crore scheme to build a globally competitive container manufacturing industry in India, while also supporting domestic production of construction and infrastructur

Budget 2026: Govt to roll out Semiconductor Mission 2.0 with ₹40,000 cr

Union Budget 2026: The government will launch India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 with an outlay of ₹40,000 crore to support chip equipment manufacturing, R&D and training

Budget 2026: Sitharaman lays 16th Finance Commission report in Lok Sabha

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday laid the 16th Finance Commission report for tax revenue devolution between Centre and states for 2026-2031 in the Lok Sabha. The Finance Commission, which has been set up under the Constitution, provides a formula for devolution of taxes between Centre and states. Cesses and surcharge levied by the Centre are not part of the divisible pool. The Finance Commission is a constitutional body that gives suggestions on Centre-state financial relations and is set up periodically. The 16th Finance Commission, headed by former Vice-Chairman of Niti Aayog Arvind Panagariya, was set up on December 31, 2023. Led by Panagariya, Finance Commission members -- Retired bureaucrat Annie George Mathew, economist Manoj Panda, SBI Group Chief Economic Advisor Soumya Kanti Ghosh, and RBI Deputy Governor T Rabi Sankar -- and Secretary to the Commission Ritvik Pandey submitted its report to President Droupadi Murmu on November 17, 2025.

Gold, silver retreat steeply from record highs before Budget 2026

Gold and silver futures opened sharply lower ahead of the Union Budget 2026, retreating steeply from record highs amid profit booking in domestic and international markets

Union Budget 2026: FM Sitharaman dons a Kanjeevaram saree from Tamil Nadu

Nirmala Sitharaman presents the Union Budget today, marking her ninth straight Budget; she continued her handloom tradition by wearing a maroon Kanjeevaram saree from Tamil Nadu

Longest serving FM, Sitharaman set to present 9th consecutive Budget

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday makes history as she presents a record ninth consecutive Budget that is expected to unveil measures to sustain growth momentum, maintain fiscal discipline, and contain reforms that could buffer the economy from global trade frictions, including US tariffs. This will take Sitharaman closer to the record of 10 budgets that were presented by former Prime Minister Morarji Desai over different time periods. Desai presented six budgets during his tenure as finance minister from 1959 to 1964, and four budgets between 1967 and 1969. Former finance ministers P Chidambaram and Pranab Mukherjee had presented nine and eight budgets, respectively, under different prime ministers. Sitharaman, however, will continue to hold the record of presenting the maximum number of budgets on the trot -- nine straight budgets under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She was in 2019 appointed as India's first full-time woman finance minister when Prime Minister Narendr

Budget 2026: Key numbers to watch out for amid reform expectations

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present her record 9th straight Budget, and all eyes will be on the much-awaited customs reforms. Sitharaman had, in her first Budget in 2019, replaced the leather briefcase -- which had been in use for decades for carrying Budget documents -- with a traditional 'bahi-khata' wrapped in red cloth. This year's budget will be in paperless form, as done in the last four years. Here are the key numbers to watch out for in the Union Budget for 2026-27: * Fiscal Deficit: The budgeted fiscal deficit, which is the difference between the government expenditure and income, for the current fiscal (April 2025 to March 2026 or FY26), is estimated at 4.4 per cent of GDP. Having achieved a fiscal consolidation roadmap with a deficit below 4.5 per cent of GDP in FY26, markets will keenly watch for direction on debt-to-GDP reduction in the FY27 Budget, as well as whether the government will provide a specific fiscal deficit number for the next financial year.