Page 2 - Nirmala Sitharaman

Bringing down debt-to-GDP ratio will be govt's core focus: Sitharaman

The finance minister stressed that fiscal management remains a priority and must be consistently upheld year after year

Insurance Amendment Bill to ensure accessibility, affordability for all: FM

Nirmala Sitharaman further noted that India needs further capital infusion into the insurance sector

Datanomics: Unclaimed bank deposits more than double in five years

Only 3% of India's ₹67,000-crore unclaimed bank deposits have been returned so far under the Centre's 'Your Money, Your Right' campaign, highlighting the scale of idle savings

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: India mother of democracy, says Nadda, urges respect for EC on SIR

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Govt introduces bill in Lok Sabha to hike FDI in insurance sector to 100%

A bill seeking to raise FDI in the insurance sector to 100 per cent was on Tuesday introduced in the Lok Sabha amid strong protest from the Opposition. The Sabka Bima Sabki Raksha (Amendment of Insurance Laws) Act, 2025, seeks to amend Insurance Act, 1938, Life Insurance Corporation Act, 1956, and Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999, as per the bill circulated to members of Parliament. Introducing the bill, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the common people's insurance has always been the focus of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the central government has provided insurance to the marginal sections of the society even during the Covid pandemic. Sitharaman said objections of some of the Opposition members could be part of the debate and she was ready to answer all their questions during the debate on the proposed legislation. Opposing the introduction of the bill, RSP member N K Premachandran said the nomenclature of the bill has nothing to do wit

Will achieve 56.1% debt-to-GDP ratio in FY26: FM Nirmala Sitharaman

The finance minister also assured that there was no shortage of fertiliser in the country, whether imported or domestically produced, and there was enough buffer available for the upcoming rabi season

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: Dharmendra Pradhan introduces Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill

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Parliament Winter Session HIGHLIGHTS: RS adjourns for the day, to meet at 11 am on Friday

Parliament Winter Session LIVE Updates: Stay tuned as discussion on electoral reforms is set continue in Rajya Sabha after the Opposition staged a walkout from both houses on Wednesday

GSTAT state benches may miss December rollout as staffing, infra lag

The rollout of GST appellate tribunal benches is likely to miss the December deadline as staffing gaps and infrastructure delays stall operations, leaving lakhs of tax disputes unresolved

Budget 2026-27: Integrated Customs platform on cards in digitisation push

ICEGATE enables e-filing and customs payments by traders; RMS automates risk-based scrutiny; and ICES handles backend assessment and clearance workflows at Customs locations

Parliament clears Bill to levy cess on pan masala manufacturing units

Parliament on Monday approved a bill seeking cess on manufacturing units of pan masala to augment expenditure on national security and public health. The Rajya Sabha returned the Health Security se National Security Cess Bill, 2025, to the Lok Sabha. The bill was approved by the Lower House on Friday. The cess will be over and above the GST, and will be levied on the production capacity of machines in pan masala manufacturing factories. Replying to the debate on the bill, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the cess is intended to serve the cost of national and health security.

Spurring innovation: BIRAC, TDB may manage key tranches of ₹1 trn RDI fund

BIRAC and TDB are expected to be named second-level fund managers for the ₹1-trillion RDI fund, enabling long-term low-cost capital flow to biotech and deeptech startups

Show me the money, ma'am: Omar after FM praises efforts to restore economy

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday appreciated Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for his "focused" approach to restore the Union territory's economy, to which he responded by thanking her and quipping, "Please show me the money ma'am." The finance minister's commendation, delivered at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, came while reflecting on the national economy's journey, and highlighting the specific efforts in Jammu and Kashmir. She recalled how the UT's economy had been picking up under the Central rule, citing the successful "restoration of the J-K Bank", and the Centre's efforts to go into the "granular details" to boost the local economy. However, she noted that the revival took a "major hit" when the crucial tourism sector "came to a standstill" following external factors, in a veiled reference to border troubles and attacks, including the April 22 incident in Pahalgam. "I must appreciate the chief minister of J-K who met me twice, focu

Simplification of customs will be next big reform, says FM Sitharaman

Ahead of Budget 2026, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said the simplification of customs would be the next big reform agenda for the government. During the current financial year, the government undertook reforms such as rate rationalisation and simplification of the income tax and Goods and Services Tax (GST) in a bid to boost consumption by providing more cash in the hands of the common man. "We need a complete overhaul of customs... we need to have customs simplified for people to feel that it is not cumbersome to comply... need to make it more transparent," Sitharaman said while speaking at the HT Leadership Summit here. There is a need to bring the virtues of income tax to the customs side in terms of transparency, she said, adding that the proposed reforms will be comprehensive and entail customs duty rate rationalisation. The announcements to this effect can be made in the upcoming Budget, likely to be presented on February 1. "We have brought down customs d

India's economy expected to grow at least 7% in FY26: FM Sitharaman

Chief Economic Adviser Anantha Nageswaran upgraded his forecast late last month to at least 7 per cent after data showed an expansion of more than 8 per cent in the three months through September

LS clears bill to impose cess on pan masala units for health, security

The Lok Sabha on Friday passed a bill to levy a cess on manufacturing units of pan masala, and utilise the fund for strengthening national security and improving public health. Replying to the debate on the Health Security se National Security Cess Bill, 2025, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the cess will be shared with the states, as public health is a state subject. The bill was later passed by voice vote by the Lok Sabha. The bill seeks to augment the resources for meeting expenditure on national security and for public health by levying a cess on the machines installed or other processes undertaken to manufacture pan masala and similar goods. The purpose of the bill is to create a "dedicated and predictable resource stream" for two domains of national importance -- health and national security, she said. Sitharaman said pan masala will be taxed at the maximum 40 per cent rate under Goods and Services Tax (GST) based on its consumption, and there will be no impact of t

LS to take up Health, National Security Cess Bill for consideration today

The Bill, as stated by FM Sitharaman in the Lower House, aims to augment the resources for meeting expenditure on national security and for public health and to levy cess for the said purposes

New cess revenue to be shared with states, says FM Nirmala Sitharaman

Parliament passes Central Excise (Amendment) Bill 2025

States to get share of new health-security cess through schemes: Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the proposed Health and National Security Cess is expected to act as a deterrent to pan masala consumption and will not be levied on essential commodities

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: FM moves Health Security se National Security Cess Bill in Lok Sabha

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