Page 22 - Nirmala Sitharaman

Betting on the middle class: Budget fuels growth with consumption boost

While public capex has been retained at its elevated level, it appears that the finance ministry believes that without a more direct push to household demand, growth will subside to unacceptable level

Budget: Bihar gets the lion's share; tax relief with eye on middle class

The projects for Bihar in Budget 2025-26 add to the Rs 59,000 cr that the FM allocated to the state in July

Budget 2025: Defence allocation sees marginal rise at 1.9% of GDP

It is unclear at the moment what portions of this year's capital budget the three services will receive, because the breakup is no longer separately marked in public documents

Budget 2025: FM promises intervention in 100 districts to boost crop yields

Credit limit on KCC raised to Rs 5 lakh; farm Budget at Rs 1.71 trn, 22% more than FY25RE

Budget 2025: FM takes 'transformative reforms' route to boost growth

The domains include regulatory reforms, the power sector, urban development, mining, the financial sector, and taxation

More disposable income in hands: TDS threshold for senior citizens doubled

Taxpayers can now file updated returns for four years instead of the previous two

Budget 2025: Tax-free income limit under new regime rises to Rs 12 lakh

Old tax system remains unchanged

Budget 2025: FM Sitharaman doles out gifts to boost activity at IFSC

Tax concessions extended till 2030; sops for relocation of MFs, ETFs, boost ODI issuance

Budget 2025: Centre sets capex goal for FY26 at Rs 11.21 trillion

The government had set a Budget Estimate (BE) for capex at Rs 11.11 trillion for FY25, against which it is expected to miss the target by Rs 93,000 crore

Budget 2025: Relief on 2 self-occupied properties, without riders

Annual limit of Rs 2.4 lakh for TDS on rent increased to Rs 6 lakh

Tech leaders, startup founders, investors welcome Budget 2025-26

The Budget announced a new Fund of Funds (FoF) with an expanded scope of Rs 10,000 crore

Budget proposes focused scheme for footwear industry, to create 2.2 mn jobs

Scheme to support design capacity, component manufacturing, and machinery for producing non-leather 'quality footwear'

FM Sitharaman announces National Geospatial Mission, allocates Rs 100 cr

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday announced a Rs 100 crore National Geospatial Mission to develop foundational geospatial infrastructure and data, a move aimed at modernising land records, aid urban planning and promoting earth observation systems. Geospatial refers to data associated with a specific location on the Earth's surface, which is crucial for positioning systems and adding layers of information on a map. "We will start a National Geospatial Mission to develop foundational geospatial infrastructure and data. Using PM Gati Shakti, this mission will facilitate modernisation of land records, urban planning, and design of infrastructure projects," Sitharaman said. The finance minister allocated Rs 100 crore for the National Geospatial Mission. The announcement of the mission was welcomed by the geospatial industry that said it would be crucial for building smarter cities, with data-driven insights. "The announcement of the National Geospatial Mission show

Govt to form panel for regulatory reforms: FM in Union Budget speech

The government on Saturday announced measures like setting up a high-level committee for regulatory reforms and releasing investment friendliness index of states to further improve business environment of the country. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget speech said the government will now bring up the second part of Jan Vishwas Bill to decriminalise more than 100 provisions in various laws. The first part - Jan Vishwas Act 2023 - decriminalised more than 180 legal provisions to cut compliance burden for industry. "A High-Level Committee for Regulatory Reforms will be set up for a review of all non-financial sector regulations, certifications, licenses, and permissions," Sitharaman said. The committee will be expected to make recommendations within a year. "The objective is to strengthen trust-based economic governance and take transformational measures to enhance ease of doing business, especially in matters of inspections and compliances. States will be encouraged

Budget 2025-26: Cotton Mission gets a boost to improve productivity

The budget allocation for the textile sector saw a steep increase from the FY24-25 revised figure of Rs 3,342 crore to Rs 5,252 crore

Inclusive Budget to create jobs, boost agriculture and MSME growth

Given the importance of logistics, mobility and tourism for the economy, the government has further announced 120 new destinations under the UDAN scheme and 50 new tourist destinations

Budget 2025: Govt proposes to extend startup incorporation till 2030

The government on Saturday proposed to extend the period of incorporation of eligible startups by five years for providing tax incentives, a move aimed at encouraging budding entrepreneurs. Eligible startups established before April 1, 2030, would get a tax incentive for three consecutive years out of ten years from incorporation. "We continue to support the Indian startup ecosystem. I propose to extend the period of incorporation by five years to allow the benefit available to startups which are incorporated before April 1, 2030," Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget speech said. The move would help in providing greater liquidity for startups. Eligible start-ups can avail complete deduction of profit and gains for three consecutive years out of 10 years, beginning from the year of incorporation. The benefits under Section 80-IAC of the income tax law will help such enterprises improve their liquidity, cash availability, and work capital, boosting growth and productiv

Budget 2025: NaBFID's partial credit guarantee to boost corporate bond mkt

Insurance and pension regulatory norms require that investment papers must have at least an "AA" rating to be eligible for investment from pension and insurance funds

Budget 2025: Who is Telugu poet Gurajada Apparao quoted by Sitharaman

Nirmala Sitharaman used Telugu poet and playwright Gurajada Apparao's famous words to emphasise the government's vision for Viksit Bharat

Rahul Gandhi slams Union Budget 2025, calls it 'band-aid for bullet wounds'

The Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati criticised the Budget calling it 'politically motivated'