Page 24 - Budget 2026

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

Budget may not lure FPIs immediately: Somil Mehta, Mirae Asset Sharekhan

India's structural story (demographics, digitisation, manufacturing) is intact despite tactical noise, said Mehta

Naredco budget wishlist: Industry status, hike in home loan interest

Realtors' body NAREDCO on Thursday demanded that the government in the upcoming budget should enhance the deduction limit for interest on home loans to Rs 5 lakh from the current Rs 2 lakh, as well as provide industry status to further fuel the growth of the real estate sector. The association also sought change in the definition of affordable housing and suggested that the homes costing up to Rs 75-80 lakh should be treated as affordable as against the price limit of Rs 45 lakh.. In a press conference held here, NAREDCO Chairman Niranjan Hiranandani said the Centre has undertaken various measures to support the real estate sector but there is a need to do more for affordable housing segment. "We need to ensure Housing For All. Housing should get equal importance like any other infrastructure sector," he added. Hiranandani suggested the government should utilise it own land for development of affordable and mid-income housing. NAREDCO President Parveen Jain said the limit for ...

A Budget for India's strategic growth, jobs and global competitiveness

The document will be pivotal in outlining agenda that sustains growth and capex, enhances manufacturing and technological capabilities, creates jobs, and makes our economy more dynamic and competitive

Neutral policy, predictable rules needed for investment-led growth

Fiscal restraint and policy stability are key for a pivot from consumption to investment led growth

Budget 2026: ₹10 lakh TCS relief not enough for Indians abroad, say experts

As Budget 2026 approaches, students, travellers and families want simpler TCS rules under LRS and relief from upfront cash-flow pressure

Budget 2026 can catalyse India's journey towards becoming global data hub

With long-term capex needs, the data centre sector is seeking a stable, predictable tax regime in Budget 2026 to boost investor confidence and position India as a global data hub