Page 24 - Budget 2026

Budget 2026 Outlook: Will India's debt-anchored fiscal reset make a mark?

The FY27 Union Budget will test India's shift to a debt-based fiscal framework as tax risks, Finance Commission changes, capex priorities and election pressures shape policy choices

Budget 2026 outlook: Key expectations for agriculture, rural sectors

With falling crop prices, slowing farm income growth and pressure on subsidies, the Union Budget for FY27 is expected to focus on agriculture reforms, rural spending and cooperatives

Stakeholders seek further tax reforms, higher standard deduction in Budget

With many income tax incentives already expired or approaching sunset, 34% of respondents said they expected the government to bring back a manufacturing-linked lower tax rate regime

Budget 2026: Why India’s bond market is bracing for a supply stress test

As the Union Budget approaches, India’s bond market is bracing for its biggest supply challenge yet.

Union Budget 2026: What homebuyers must watch closely in this budget | Budget 2026 expectations

Buying a home in India is getting harder, not easier. Prices are up, EMIs are stretched, and “affordable housing” often isn’t affordable anymore.

FM attends halwa ceremony, marking final stage of Budget preparation

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday participated in a traditional 'halwa' ceremony, marking the final stage for the preparation of the Union Budget 2026-27, to be unveiled on February 1 in the Lok Sabha. The ceremony took place at the North Block on Raisina Hill, the old address of the Finance Ministry, as the new premises at the Kartyava Bhawan-I do not have a printing press. The Finance Minister and most of her team were shifted from the iconic and majestic North Block to the modern central secretariat office housed in Kartavya Bhawan in September 2025. The ceremony is a customary ritual in which traditional dessert 'halwa' is prepared and served to officials and staff members of the finance ministry who are involved in the preparation of the budget. The 'Halwa ceremony' precedes the 'lock-in' of the officials involved in preparation of the Union Budget, an official statement said. Maintaining the tradition, it was organised in the basement of North Block, which was .

Congress hits out at govt over delay in sharing Budget session agenda

Congress on Tuesday flayed the government for "failing" to circulate its legislative agenda ahead of the Budget session of Parliament. Congress leader K Suresh told reporters that at the all-party meeting convened here, party leaders questioned lack of legislative agenda outlining the bills the government seeks to bring. However, Union ministers attending the meeting said the agenda will be circulated later. They told the meeting that the first part of the session will focus on debate on the Motion of Thanks and discussion on the Union Budget. While the first part of the session will begin on Wednesday with the address of President Droupadi Murmu to the joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, the Union Budget will be presented on February 1, a Sunday. The first part of the session will continue till February 13 during which the Motion of Thanks will be discussed and passed. A discussion on the Union Budget will also be taken up. After a recess, the Houses will reconv

Markets await devil in the details in the India-EU FTA: Nilesh Shah, Kotak AMC

From a purely market standpoint, India-EU trade deal is a positive step and clearly in the right direction, Shah said

BEL, HAL, Bayer among top analyst bets ahead of Budget 2026; check strategy

Stocks to buy from agri, defence ahead of Union Budget: Gaurang Shah of Geojit Investments prefers defence shares such as - Bharat Electronics, Cochin Shipyard, MTAR Technologies and BHEL.

Centre convenes all-party meeting ahead of Budget session: Top agenda

The meeting is aimed at ensuring the smooth functioning of Parliament and managing issues that are expected to arise during the session

Union Budget 2026: NRIs seek return to simpler 182-day tax residency rule

Bombay Chambers says graded residency norms introduced in 2020 have made tax status harder to assess for visiting NRIs and PIOs

Budget should push capital expenditure materially: Aditi Nayar, ICRA

The GoI had already provided relief on the personal income tax front in the Union Budget for FY2026, with the revenue foregone on account of this pegged at ₹1.0 trillion

What the Budget must present in a tough global and job environment

As the Union Budget nears, the focus must shift to debt, deficits, and borrowing from household savings, and how these choices affect private investment, manufacturing growth, and jobs

The Budget, govt borrowing and the RBI: Managing mounting FY27 pressures

The Centre's higher gross borrowing won't be a challenge in FY27, but the increasing size of state development loans is a concern

Budget 2026: Vedanta urges policy push for low-grade iron ore beneficiation

Vedanta's iron ore mining arm, Sesa Goa, has urged the government to provide incentives for low-grade iron ore beneficiation, emphasising that targeted policy support and infrastructure investment are critical to make the processing economically viable and to expand the sector. The low-grade iron ore beneficiation process enhances the iron content of low-quality ores by removing impurities like silica, alumina, and phosphorus, thereby making them suitable for steel production. With India's steel demand projected to reach 300 million tonnes by 2030, unlocking low-grade reserves through beneficiation could boost domestic supply security, create jobs, and add billions to government revenues via expanded mining and exports. Currently, higher-grade ore meets domestic needs, but low-grade stockpiles offer untapped potential, provided policy hurdles like duties and regulatory delays are eased. "India sits on massive low-grade iron ore inventory estimated at over 300 million tonnes at min

Q3 results, US Fed rate decision, Budget likely to steer market movement

Stock market is gearing up for an eventful week ahead where key triggers such as quarterly earnings from corporates, the US Fed interest rate decision and the upcoming Union Budget for 2026-27 would grab the limelight, analysts said. Equity markets would be closed on Monday for Republic Day. Moreover, trading activity of foreign investors, rupee-dollar trend and global trade related developments would also influence trading in the markets, experts said. The Union Budget will be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1. The NSE and BSE will conduct live trading on Sunday, February 1, when the Budget is presented. "This week is packed with important domestic and global triggers. On the domestic front, markets will track industrial production data, government budget-related fiscal indicators, and weekly foreign exchange reserves. "The earnings season will also gain momentum, with key results from heavyweights such as Axis Bank, L&T, Maruti Suzuki, ITC, NTPC, and

Budget 2026: Why old income tax regime still appeals to salaried taxpayers

As the Finance Minister readies Budget 2026, salaried taxpayers remain split on whether lower rates can truly replace deductions

Precious metal refiners seek duty parity to ease import disadvantage

The precious metal refining sector expects the government to address duty disparities that put domestic refiners at a disadvantage compared to imports through free trade agreements, MMTC-PAMP Managing Director and CEO Sami Guha said on Friday. "One of the expectations we've had as not just MMTC-PAMP, but as the whole precious metal refining sector has seen this disparity, which is there in duty, especially through the SEPA route between what we get as Dore versus what refined bullion is imported at," Guha said. The duty gap puts refiners at a significant disadvantage, though the government appears to be aware of the issue, he said. FTAs signed after the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) have excluded bullion, and the industry hopes future trade agreements follow the same approach by not including gold and silver in lower duty structures. To boost India's global standing in refining and increase the number of London Bullion Market Association-accredited refiners, the government needs

Budget 2026: Can investment in digital health and AI reshape healthcare?

From diagnostics to primary care, experts say the coming Budget must shift digital health and AI from experimentation to execution at scale

India to stick to fiscal consolidation path in Budget, say economists: Poll

Capital spending has risen more than fivefold over the past decade and has been a key contributor to recent strong growth in Asia's third-largest economy