Page 4 - Economic Survey

Economic Survey: Tariff skew undercuts electronics manufacturing ambitions

Survey backs industry demand to fix inverted duty structure

Economic Survey pitches Orange Economy as emerging growth lever

As per estimates of the Ministry of Tourism, travel and tourism contributed 5.22% to GDP in FY24, close to pre-pandemic levels, while supporting an estimated 8.46 crore direct and indirect jobs

Economic Survey flags supply-side gaps hurting India's urban potential

The Economic Survey 2025-26 says India's cities drive growth but suffer from daily stress due to poor planning, overuse of private transport and fragmented governance

Eco Survey calls to link microfinance investor exits to social metrics

Economic Survey 2025-26 urges linking microfinance investor exits to social impact metrics, warning that return-driven growth risks over-lending, borrower stress, and financial instability

Eco Survey urges education reforms, global push to curb student exodus

India must reform higher education and promote international student programmes to curb brain drain and boost its global education presence

Eco Survey flags restrictive land-use norms as key drag on realty supply

Restrictive land-use rules and low FSI caps are choking housing supply, turning land into dead capital and worsening affordability, the Economic Survey 2025-26 warns

Eco Survey flags strain on grids, groundwater due to AI data centres

India's AI data centre boom risks power grid volatility and groundwater depletion, prompting calls for urgent policy on energy and water use

Stablecoins can disrupt capital flows to emerging markets: Eco Survey

The survey said that the outflow of capital, including with the advent of stablecoins, is a risk to watch out for

Eco Survey calls for shift from entity-based to activity-based regulation

Regulators must walk the tightrope to balance growth with stability

What is the Power Gap Index the Economic Survey cites for the first time?

The Economic Survey 2025-26 cites the Power Gap Index to show that India is operating below its full strategic potential despite strong economic, military and demographic fundamentals

Critical minerals, nuclear push crucial to India's climate plan: Eco Survey

The Economic Survey says India plans a development-centred climate strategy that integrates adaptation, mitigation and behaviour change while strengthening energy security

Domestic climate finance alone won't suffice for India: Eco Survey

India faces global challenges in climate finance and relying solely on domestic resources will not be sufficient, the Economic Survey on Thursday warned, suggesting mobilising private sector finance. Critical areas, including adaptation, financing for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), urban infrastructure, and hard-to-abate industries, remain "underfunded". Currently, about 83 per cent of India's finance for mitigation and 98 per cent of finance for adaptation is sourced domestically. "However, the gaps in available finance and the needs persist, relying solely on domestic resources will not be sufficient," the Survey warned. Although the country has successfully reduced its emissions intensity by 36 per cent since 2005 and achieved 50 per cent non-fossil power capacity ahead of schedule, climate finance remains skewed towards mature sectors such as solar, wind energy and energy efficiency, it said. International public sector climate finance at an affordable cost, is,

India makes headway in building carbon market framework: Economic Survey

India has made substantial progress in establishing its carbon market framework, a crucial step towards developing its mitigation strategy, the Economic Survey released on Thursday said. The government adopted the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS) in June 2023, operating through a dual mechanism that incorporates mandatory compliance and voluntary offset approaches. The compliance mechanism targets energy-intensive industrial sectors through an emission intensity-based baseline-and-credit system, initially covering sectors such as cement, iron and steel, etc. Entities that exceed their emissions intensity targets earn Carbon Credit Certificates (CCCs), denominated in tonnes of CO equivalent (tCO2e), which they can trade on power exchanges. Those that fall short must buy and surrender equivalent credits. "This framework leverages the existing Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme infrastructure, gradually transitioning it into a fully operational compliance carbon market," the .

Why Economic Survey says women-led growth needs care and mobility reforms

The Economic Survey says rising female workforce participation must be backed by safer mobility, care infrastructure and flexible work to unlock women-led growth and shared domestic responsibilities

Low R&D intensity, risk aversion hobble corporate competitiveness: Survey

Indian corporate investment is characterised by low R&D intensity and concentration in real estate-linked, regulated, or quasi-monopolistic sectors with a relative lack of willingness and appetite to invest towards long-term risk absorption and become globally competitive, according to the Economic Survey. In a society undergoing rapid structural change, the private sector's legitimacy will increasingly rest on its ability to marry commercial dynamism with a conscious contribution to nation-building, the pre-Budget tabled in Lok Sabha on Thursday said. Citing historical records of instances in different parts of the world where business leaders and firms acted not merely as profit-seeking entities but as institutional partners in broader national projects at various stages, it said the Indian private sector needs to recognise its role in shaping social trust and institutional credibility. The Survey said the Indian corporate sector operates "in a hybrid zone where rents are ...

SMC Bill may set benchmark for financial sector regulation: Eco Survey

Beyond the securities market, the proposed Securities Markets Code (SMC) Bill could set a model for regulatory governance across wider financial and administrative sectors, according to the Economic Survey 2025-26. "If implemented in both letter and spirit, it could restore and strengthen trust among regulators, market participants, and investors," the Survey, which was tabled in Parliament on Thursday, noted. The Code spans subjects such as board composition, independence, conflict management, transparency, regulatory sandboxing, investor protection, governance of market infrastructure institutions (MIIs), and ease of doing business. These reforms can be categorised into three main clusters -- mechanisms for the delivery of services, regulatory governance and Market Infrastructure Institutions. The SMC Bill, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha in December, seeks to consolidate, rationalise and replace three existing securities laws -- the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, .

Delayed payments continue to hit MSMEs, ₹8.1 trillion stuck: Eco Survey

Delayed payments worth ₹8.1 trillion continue to choke MSME cash flows, with fear of losing business ties discouraging firms from pursuing legal remedies, says Economic Survey

Manufacturing is macroeconomic insurance, not nostalgia: Economic Survey

Economic Survey 2026 says that in a fragmented global economy, manufacturing is closely tied to external and currency stability, warning that services alone cannot offset rising global pressures

Cost cuts, distribution reforms key to tapping 'missing middle': Eco Survey

High acquisition and distribution costs are hurting insurance affordability, limiting reach to the 'missing middle' and keeping penetration stuck despite rising insurance density

'India is an oasis of macro stability in a turbulent world': CEA Nageswaran

India remains economically stable despite global uncertainty, with strong growth, low inflation and rising forex reserves, CEA Anantha Nageswaran said after the Economic Survey was tabled