Page 2 - Nirmala Sitharaman

Manufacturing muscle lifts Q2 GDP growth to 6-quarter high of 8.2%

FY26 estimates to be revised upwards after faster-than-expected expansion

Jul-Sep quarter GDP growth shows strength of Indian economy: FM Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said the September quarter GDP print of 8.2 per cent shows that reforms and fiscal consolidation drove the Indian economy's robust growth and momentum. "Various high-frequency indicators also point to continued economic momentum and broad-based consumption growth," she said in a social media post. The economy grew by a higher-than-expected 8.2 per cent, a six-quarter high, as increased factory production in anticipation of a consumption boost from the GST rate cut helped offset deceleration in farm output, according to official data. "The GDP estimates released today shows the robust economic growth and momentum of the Indian economy. With a Real GDP growth rate of 8.2 per cent for Q2 - FY 2025-26 (July-Sept), India is the world's fastest growing major economy," Sitharaman wrote on 'X'. In the current financial year, real GDP has registered an 8 per cent growth rate in the first half of fiscal 2025-26. "The growth has been driven by ..

MCA should strive to be futuristic to serve stakeholders: FM Sitharaman

FM asked the Corporate Affairs Ministry to modernise systems, enhance transparency and ensure time-bound services as she reviewed Regional Directorates and the Registrar of Companies

FM Nirmala Sitharaman holds pre-Budget meet with energy, infra leaders

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday chaired her tenth pre-budget consultation, engaging key leaders from the energy and infrastructure sectors ahead of Union Budget 2026-27

FM Sitharaman meets infrastructure, energy experts on Budget for FY27

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday met experts from infrastructure and energy to elicit their views on the forthcoming Budget for FY27. Those present at the meeting include Afcons Managing Director S Paramasivan, Shapoorji Pallonji Infrastructure Capital Director Manish Tripathi, GMR Group Deputy Managing Director K Narayanarao, JM BAXI Group Director Sandeep Wadhwa and Infravision Foundation CEO Jagan Shah, among others. "Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. @nsitharaman chairs the 11th Pre-Budget Consultation with the experts from the #Infrastructure and #Energy Sectors in connection with the forthcoming Union Budget 2026-27, in New Delhi, today. "The meeting was also attended by Secretaries of @MinOfPower; @shipmin_India; @MORTHIndia; Chairman of Railway Board; and the Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India," the Ministry of Finance said in a social media post on X. Sitharaman is likely to present the Budget on February 1. She will present

Budget 2026: Tourism & hospitality sector reiterate demand for infra status

Simplified visa process, increased marketing spend to boost FTAs

The Sixteenth Finance Commission submits its five-year fiscal blueprint

Panel's recommendations sent to PM and finance minister; report to be tabled in Parliament

Northeast has been kept at centre of policymaking, says FM Sitharaman

Sitharaman says the Northeast now has the fundamentals in place and is rapidly building digital and semiconductor-ready capabilities with strong policy priority from the Centre

Pre-Budget talks: MSMEs urge relief package for exporters hit by US tariff

MSME players in pre-Budget talks seek collateral-free credit, relaxed NPA norms, and tax reliefs to offset the impact of a 50% US tariff hike on exports and ease liquidity pressures

FM Sitharaman's 8th Budget can't afford to abandon fiscal consolidation

The dilemma over the date of presentation aside, there is yet another reason why Ms Sitharaman's forthcoming Budget will be treated as a major event of historical significance

Pre-Budget meetings with govt: Economists urge FM to push capex pedal

Some experts flagged that state governments' debt has become unsustainable

FM Nirmala Sitharaman meets leading economists ahead of FY27 Budget

Ahead of the Union Budget 2026-27, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday met leading economists to elicit their views on the forthcoming Budget. Those present at the meeting include Sajjid Chinoy, Neelkanth Misra, Dharmakirti Joshi, Ridham Desai, Sonal Varma and Indira Rajaraman. "Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt @nsitharaman chairs the first Pre-Budget Consultation with leading economists in connection with the upcoming Union Budget 2026-27, in New Delhi, today," the Ministry of Finance said in a social media post on X. "The meeting was also attended by Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) @FinMinIndia; and Chief Economic Adviser, Government of India, besides senior officers from the DEA," it added. Sitharaman is likely to present the Budget on February 1. She will present the Budget in the backdrop of geopolitical uncertainties and the steep US tariff of 50 per cent imposed on shipments from India. The Budget for the next fiscal year will .

Govt invested Rs 21,000 cr in Northeast's education sector in 11 years: FM

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday claimed that the central government has invested Rs 21,000 crore in the education sector in the Northeast in the last 11 years. Connectivity has also received a boost in the region during the period, with new states put on the railway map and several greenfield airports constructed, she added. Sitharaman, who was on a two-day visit to Assam since Friday, was speaking after laying the foundation stone for the state's first university focussed on technical and vocational education and training at Bholaguri in Gohpur in Biswanath district. The 'Swahid Kanaklata Barua State University' will be built at a cost of Rs 415 crore on a total area of 241 acres, with a built-up area of 7 lakh sq ft. "Since 2014, the Centre has invested Rs 21,000 crore in the education sector in the Northeast. Over 850 new schools have been opened. The first AIIMS in the region has become operational, and over 200 new skill development institutes have been .

Sitharaman lays foundation for Assam's first tech, vocational university

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday laid the foundation stone for Assam's first university focussed on technical and vocational education and training. The 'Swahid Kanaklata Barua State University' is being built at a cost of Rs 415 crore at Bholaguri in Gohpur in Biswanath district. The university will come up in a total area of 241 acres, with a built-up area of 7 lakh sq ft. It will feature academic blocks for 2,000 students, hostels for 1,620 students, residential quarters, guest house and a student facility centre. The university will offer courses in various technology domains, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, cybersecurity, blockchain, drone and navigation technology, quantum computing, brain computer interface, internet of things, and smart cities and smart environments. The Union minister has been on a two-day visit to the state since Friday.

Corporate affairs ministry reworking PM internship scheme guidelines

This comes as MCA is placing first batch of interns as it races for full roll out

Big bank pursuit: FM Nirmala Sitharaman says in talks with RBI, lenders

"There is a lot of work to do prior to my saying yes. The work has already commenced. We are discussing with the RBI and banks," the finance minister said

Bank unions protest Nirmala Sitharaman's privatisation 'endorsement'

The forum cited the collapses of YES Bank, Global Trust Bank, and Lakshmi Vilas Bank as examples of governance lapses in private banks

Global value chain faces disruption, reforms driving growth: FM Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman highlights global challenges, stresses infrastructure push, reform measures, and technology-led growth to boost investment and productivity

Privatising PSBs won't impede financial inclusion, says FM Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India's next set of customs reforms is in progress after GST, adding that the country is on track to meet its fiscal goals and become a top-three economy soon

Bank privatisation won't hurt financial inclusion or national interest: FM

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday allayed apprehension that privatisation of state-owned banks would hurt financial inclusion and national interest. She said the bank nationalisation done in 1969 has not yielded the desired result as far as financial inclusion was concerned. Addressing the student at the Diamond Jubilee Valedictory Lecture at Delhi School of Economics (DSE), University of Delhi here, she said that nationalisation did help in pushing priority sector lending and government programmes but government control made public sector banks unprofessional. Despite 50 years of nationalisation, the objectives that were not entirely achieved, she said, adding, "after... we professionalised the banks, those objectives are still being beautifully achieved. "So, this perception that when you try to make them professional, and if you want to privatise them, which is a Cabinet decision, that objective of reaching to all people, taking banking to everybody will be lost...