Page 7 - Finance Minister

Capital expenditure not cut, rises to Rs 11.21 trn for FY26: Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said the capital expenditure has not been cut, but has gone up to Rs 11.21 lakh crore for 2025-26 fiscal, and there has been proportional increase in loans given to states for capital expenditure for the same year. Replying during the Question Hour in Rajya Sabha, Sitharaman said the capital expenditure was at Rs 11.11 lakh crore in 2024-25. "Actually, (in) the budget this year..., it has gone up to Rs 11.21 lakh crore. So, the capital expenditure has not been cut at all," she said. Loans to states under the scheme for interest-free 50-year special assistance for capital expenditure has gone up proportionately. "So, cutting down the capital expenditure is not the case with us," she added. Sitharaman was responding to a question by senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram. Chidambaram sought to know the reason for reduction in the capital expenditure for FY25 in the revised budget estimate to Rs 10,18,429 crore

New Income Tax Bill set for discussion in monsoon session: Sitharaman

The new Income Tax Bill will be taken up for discussion in the monsoon session of Parliament, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Tuesday. Replying to the discussions on the Finance Bill 2025 in the Lok Sabha, Sitharaman said the new income tax bill, which was introduced in the House on February 13, is currently being vetted by the Select Committee. The Select Committee has been mandated to submit its report by the first day of the next session of Parliament. "...we will take it (new income tax bill) up in the monsoon session," Sitharaman said. The monsoon session of Parliament is usually convene in July and runs through August. The simplified Income Tax Bill, which is half the size of the 1961 Income Tax Act, seeks to achieve tax certainty by minimising the scope of litigation and fresh interpretation, the Income Tax department had earlier said. The new bill has a word count of 2.6 lakh, lower than 5.12 lakh in the I-T Act. The number of sections is 536 against 819 effec

Sitharaman, Citi CEO discuss bank's staff growth in India, digitalisation

During their discussion, Jane Fraser highlighted Citi's expansion in India and expressed interest in strengthening the company's presence in the country

Employees' salaries grew at 11% CAGR in 10 years: FM Nirmala Sitharaman

FM Sitharaman says factors of production being reset after pandemic

Uttarakhand finance minister resigns in tears amid public outrage

Uttarakhand's finance and parliamentary affairs minister Premchand Aggarwal's remark, perceived as disrespectful to hill residents, led to widespread protests

Banks wrote off bad loans worth Rs 16.35 trillion in last 10 years: Govt

Banks have written off non-performing assets (NPAs) or bad loans worth about Rs 16.35 lakh crore in last 10 financial years, Parliament was informed on Monday. Highest amount of Rs 2,36,265 crore was written off during financial year 2018-19 while NPAs worth Rs 58,786 crore were written off in 2014-15, the lowest in the last 10 years. During 2023-24, banks wrote off bad loans of Rs 1,70,270 crore, lower than Rs 2,16,324 crore done in the previous financial year. Banks write off non-performing assets (NPAs), including those in respect of which full provisioning has been made on completion of four years, as per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines and policy approved by banks' boards, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in a reply in the Lok Sabha. Such write-offs do not result in waiver of liabilities of borrowers and therefore, it does not benefit the borrower, she said. Banks continue pursuing their recovery actions initiated against borrowers under the various recover

FM Nirmala Sitharaman to launch PM Internship Scheme app on Monday

The FM will also launch the first facilitation centre for the Internship Scheme being set up in Kolkata by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry

Removing high-cost debt has lowered borrowing cost: FM Sitharaman

Sitharaman's comments came in the backdrop of the government's target of bringing down the debt-to-GDP ratio to 50 per cent by 2030, from the current 57 per cent

Deregulation Commission for India's growth: An idea whose time has come

But it will work only if it has both central & state-based regulations within its remit with active participation by all states

In ChatGPT era, Chhattisgarh FM presents 100-page handwritten Budget

In an age where even court rulings are drafted using AI-powered chatbots, Chhattisgarh's Finance Minister OP Choudhary showcased his personal dedication by presenting a 100-page handwritten budget in Hindi, reflecting his hands-on approach and commitment to the budget preparation process. Choudhary, a former IAS who quit service to join politics as he saw it as a bigger medium to serve the public, literally burnt midnight oil, hardly sleeping for a couple of hours in the days leading to the March 4 presentation of the Budget for the fiscal year starting April 1 in the Chhattisgarh assembly. The rare act that displayed a sense of ownership and dedication to the state's financial planning and goals stood out, especially since most budget documents are typically prepared by a team of officials or typed out on computers. "I was writing my own (Budget) speech and I realised that a handwritten document expresses my feelings, my emotions, my vision, my commitment, and my attachment more. A

India eyes strong trade deal with US, aims to double trade: Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said India is looking for a "good" trade agreement with the US to promote economic growth and ensure smooth supply chains. She also said that amid a growing global tariff war, India will have to move "smartly" to guard against possible dumping of goods from countries that are facing higher US tariffs. At the same time, India will protect the interests of domestic industries that rely on affordable imports. "In a broad sense, I think, both sides should have ambition for a good treaty, and nobody can fault that. Particularly for India, when you are looking at Viksit Bharat, you need to have good traction. Everybody is concerned about the growth numbers," she said at The Economic Times Awards. The minister said that a lot more steps are required to strengthen the country's exports across the board, wherever there is potential. "So, I am sure the commerce minister (Piyush Goyal) is quite seized of this, and he would take this (trade) ...

Very close to decision on reducing GST rates & slabs: Nirmala Sitharaman

Speaking on the ongoing efforts to simplify the GST structure, Nirmala Sitharaman said, 'We are very close to closing in on a final call on the reduction in GST rates and slabs'

Indian banks must continue to innovate, boost efficiency: Finance Minister

The finance minister virtually inaugurated 70 branches across India, 501 women customer service points, coinciding with the International Women's Day

FM launches digital footprint-based credit assessment model for MSMEs

The Finance Ministry statement further noted that the benefits to MSMEs by use of this model includes submission of application from anywhere through online mode, reduced paperwork and branch visit

Centre, Kerala govt clash over pending ASHA workers' incentive funds

Talking to reporters in Kollam, Balagopal said that the Centre had yet to release Rs 100 crore in pending payments

Govt to initiate action to realise Rs 1.36 trn pending dues: J'khand FM

The Jharkhand government will initiate legal action to realise its "Rs 1.36 lakh crore dues" pending with the Centre, Finance Minister Radhakrishna Kishore informed the assembly on Monday. Kishore made the assertion while presenting the state budget of Rs 1.45 lakh crore in the House. Earlier, during Question Hour, Excise Minister Yogendra Prasad, however, said that a joint committee has been formed comprising representatives of the Centre and the state to evaluate the exact outstanding amount. The state government has been claiming for several years that the Centre owes Rs 1.36 lakh crore to the state in lieu of coal mined by entities such as Coal India Ltd. "A joint committee of the Centre and the state has been formed on March 1 this year. The panel will assess the state's claim of Rs 1.36 lakh crore coal dues and verify the outstanding in every head. We will realise the amount as per the committee report," Prasad said in the assembly in reply to a query. The government's reply

Sitharaman urges civil accounts officers to simplify Govt's annual accounts

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday asked civil accounts services officials to work towards making the government's annual accounts more approachable and user-friendly. Addressing the 49th Civil Accounts Day event here, Sitharaman lauded the Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) officers, led by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) for the "silent technological revolution" in which states are finding a lot more ease of operation and ease of getting their government business done by adopting the public financial management system (PFMS). "I would also like you to examine, in consultation with the CAG, whether it would be possible to make the annual accounts more approachable and user-friendly and allow citizens to analyse easily and generate customisable and simpler reports," Sitharaman said. She said that since a lot of digital integration has already taken place with the states, more research can be carried out based on the data set available with the CGA. "If you're

Global order won't be determined by developed nations: FM Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman spoke on the theme 'The Great Reset: India in a New World Order' at BS Manthan

We have lost our credibility, need urgent economic reforms: Pak FM

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Thursday that Pakistan had lost its credibility as the country struggled to achieve economic stability. He was speaking at a Senate climate change committee meeting, where he discussed the country's climate financing challenges and its negotiations with international lenders, The Express Tribune newspaper reported. We have lost our credibility as a country, Aurangzeb stated, adding that urgent economic reforms were necessary to restore the trust. He revealed that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) had committed USD 500 million, while Pakistan expects to secure USD 1 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) next week. The government is also working on issuing green panda bonds to attract further investment, he said. The green panda bonds are issued in Chinese yuan by a foreign entity and the proceeds from these are used for green projects or assets. Aurangzeb also announced a major shift in tax policy, stating that the Finance ..

Kharge slams Modi govt, calls Sitharaman's 'good returns' claim ironic

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday termed as ironical the claim of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman that the Indian economy is giving good returns, and said a "visionless" Modi government has tanked the economy and ruined the lives of Indians. "Nothing can be more ironical than Modi Sarkar's FM saying that our Economy is delivering 'Good Returns', he said in a post on X. Kharge said Rs 45 lakh crore has been wiped out from the Indian stock markets so far in 2025 and Nifty 50 firms have shown the worst quarterly profit growth in five years. "Foreign Investors have sold over Rs 1.56 lakh crore of stocks since October last year, including nearly Rs 1 lakh crore in 2025 itself, which has led to wiping out wealth of small and medium investors," the Congress chief said. "Rupee at 87, means Trade Deficit is sky-high. Imports have risen by 62.21 percent in the last 5 years. The Modi Government's Trade policy is disastrous for India," he said. Drawing a comparison, Kharge