Union Budget 2026: Presenting the Union Budget, FM Nirmala Sitharaman outlined three kartavyas to boost economic growth, and ensure inclusive access to opportunities
Union Budget 2026: FM Sitharaman announces a scheme for rare earth permanent magnets
Union Budget 2026 also announced a high-level standing committee to strengthen links between education, employment and enterprise, with a focus on services-led growth and future skill needs
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday proposed incentives of Rs 100 crore for single bond issuance by municipal corporations of more than Rs 1,000 crore. She also announced restructuring of REC Ltd (formerly Rural Electrification Corporation) and Power Finance Corporation (PFC) as part of the government's public sector financial institution strengthening. The minister proposed setting up high-level committee on 'Banking for Viksit Bharat'. She said the country's banking sector is characterised by a strong balance sheet, historic high profitability. In her Budget speech, she proposed to review foreign exchange management non-debt instruments rules. She added that close to 25 crore people have come out of multi-dimensional poverty.
Union Budget 2026-27: FM Nirmala Sitharaman announced several new manufacturing schemes in the Budget 2026 to boost domestic production
FM Nirmala Sitharaman's Union Budget 2026 has proposed supporting Odisha, Kerala, Andhra and Tamil Nadu for dedicated rare-earth corridors for mining, research, and production of rare-earth magnets
Textile-related stocks rally: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Budget 2026 proposed to set-up mega textile parks to focus on value addition in technical textiles.
This year's Union Budget speech is expected to focus on continuity and long-term goals rather than major surprises
Watch the full Union Budget speech by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1 at 11 AM. This will be Nirmala Sitharaman's ninth consecutive Budget speech
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday proposed to set up a Rs 10,000 crore fund to create champion small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to boost the economy. Presenting Union Budget 2026-27, she also proposed a scheme for container manufacturing to create globally competitive ecosystem. Also, mega textile parks with focus on value addition to technical textiles would be set up. The budget also proposed setting up mega textile parks with focus on value addition to technical textiles and an integrated textile programme with five sub-parts, she stated. The finance minister said India has the potential to emerge as a global hub for high-quality affordable sports goods. She also proposed Mahatma Gandhi Gram Swaraj initiative to strengthen Khadi handloom. Besides, there would be a scheme to revive 200 legacy industrial clusters.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday said the target for capex will be raised to Rs 12.2 lakh crore for FY27 from Rs 11.2 lakh crore earmarked for the current fiscal year and announced a slew of measures to boost infrastructure in the country. Presenting the Union Budget for 2026-27 in the Lok Sabha, she said the government will continue to develop infrastructure in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. The government also proposes to set up risk guarantee fund for infrastructure sector, she added. A scheme for enhancement for construction and infrastructure equipment will be introduced to strengthen domestic manufacturing, Sitharaman said. The government also proposes to support professional institutions like ICAI, ICSI to design short-term modular courses, she added.
Union Budget 2026 outlines a ₹10,000 crore scheme to build a globally competitive container manufacturing industry in India, while also supporting domestic production of construction and infrastructur
Union Budget 2026: The government will launch India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 with an outlay of ₹40,000 crore to support chip equipment manufacturing, R&D and training
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday laid the 16th Finance Commission report for tax revenue devolution between Centre and states for 2026-2031 in the Lok Sabha. The Finance Commission, which has been set up under the Constitution, provides a formula for devolution of taxes between Centre and states. Cesses and surcharge levied by the Centre are not part of the divisible pool. The Finance Commission is a constitutional body that gives suggestions on Centre-state financial relations and is set up periodically. The 16th Finance Commission, headed by former Vice-Chairman of Niti Aayog Arvind Panagariya, was set up on December 31, 2023. Led by Panagariya, Finance Commission members -- Retired bureaucrat Annie George Mathew, economist Manoj Panda, SBI Group Chief Economic Advisor Soumya Kanti Ghosh, and RBI Deputy Governor T Rabi Sankar -- and Secretary to the Commission Ritvik Pandey submitted its report to President Droupadi Murmu on November 17, 2025.
Nirmala Sitharaman presents the Union Budget today, marking her ninth straight Budget; she continued her handloom tradition by wearing a maroon Kanjeevaram saree from Tamil Nadu
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday makes history as she presents a record ninth consecutive Budget that is expected to unveil measures to sustain growth momentum, maintain fiscal discipline, and contain reforms that could buffer the economy from global trade frictions, including US tariffs. This will take Sitharaman closer to the record of 10 budgets that were presented by former Prime Minister Morarji Desai over different time periods. Desai presented six budgets during his tenure as finance minister from 1959 to 1964, and four budgets between 1967 and 1969. Former finance ministers P Chidambaram and Pranab Mukherjee had presented nine and eight budgets, respectively, under different prime ministers. Sitharaman, however, will continue to hold the record of presenting the maximum number of budgets on the trot -- nine straight budgets under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She was in 2019 appointed as India's first full-time woman finance minister when Prime Minister Narendr
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present her record 9th straight Budget, and all eyes will be on the much-awaited customs reforms. Sitharaman had, in her first Budget in 2019, replaced the leather briefcase -- which had been in use for decades for carrying Budget documents -- with a traditional 'bahi-khata' wrapped in red cloth. This year's budget will be in paperless form, as done in the last four years. Here are the key numbers to watch out for in the Union Budget for 2026-27: * Fiscal Deficit: The budgeted fiscal deficit, which is the difference between the government expenditure and income, for the current fiscal (April 2025 to March 2026 or FY26), is estimated at 4.4 per cent of GDP. Having achieved a fiscal consolidation roadmap with a deficit below 4.5 per cent of GDP in FY26, markets will keenly watch for direction on debt-to-GDP reduction in the FY27 Budget, as well as whether the government will provide a specific fiscal deficit number for the next financial year.
Defence Budget 2026 is expected to see a double-digit rise, with capital expenditure and modernisation in sharp focus. This video breaks down what brokerages expect, how defence spending has evolved,
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday called on President Droupadi Murmu before presenting her record ninth Budget in the Lok Sabha. As per established tradition, the finance minister met the President at the Rashtrapati Bhavan before heading to Parliament. Before going to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Sitharaman posed with her Budget team in front of her office at Kartavya Bhavan. Wearing a magenta silk saree, she was holding a tablet in a red pouch with the national emblem, along with the Minister of State and all six Secretaries in her ministry. Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Sitharaman, along with Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary and senior officials of the Ministry of Finance, called on the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan before presenting the Union Budget. Following the meeting, she headed for a Cabinet meeting that will formally approve the Budget for 2026-27. Sitharaman continues with the tradition she set in 2019, carrying the budget spee
The Union Budget 2026 speech of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Lok Sabha. This marks the first time the annual Union Budget has been tabled on a Sunday.