Page 2 - Union Budget

Wheels are in motion for small businesses, but global challenges remain

Credit reforms and Budget incentives aim to strengthen the MSME sector but persistent payment delays and global tariff uncertainties remain hurdles, reports Raghu Mohan

Govt's FY27 capex to focus on highways, rail, metros: Expenditure Secy

The key focus of the government's Rs 12.2 lakh crore capex for the next fiscal will be mainly on sectors like shipbuilding, national highways, railways, and metro train projects, Expenditure Secretary V Vualnam said. The government has budgeted total expenditure in 2026-27 at over Rs 53.47 lakh crore, of which about Rs 12.22 lakh crore is projected to be the capital expenditure, meaning it would be spent on building physical infrastructure. In a post-Budget interview to PTI, Vualnam said the sectors, which have huge ongoing and new projects, like the national highways, railways, and the urban sector, to the extent of metro train projects, will continue to dominate the government public capex spending in the next fiscal. "Shipbuilding has become an infrastructure sector, and will also now be a big player. We are very keen to improve our share in shipbuilding (globally). Of India's import-export cargo, just about 5 per cent goes on India-owned ships. About Rs 6 lakh crore (annually) i

Component warehousing safe harbour to offer competitive tax outcome

The proposed safe harbour regime for component warehousing linked to manufacturing may offer multinationals a globally competitive tax outcome and greater certainty on transfer pricing

Tax certainty for foreign Cloud service providers to curb disputes: Experts

New tax certainty rules for foreign cloud firms aim to prevent disputes on permanent establishment and global income, boosting confidence in India's fast-growing data centre ecosystem

PFC board clears merger with REC to boost scale, efficiency of NBFCs

Power Finance Corporation's board has approved an in-principle merger with subsidiary REC Ltd, following the government's Budget push to restructure public sector NBFCs

Govt receives financial bids for IDBI Bank stake sale, says Dipam

The government has received financial bids for IDBI Bank's strategic disinvestment, a key transaction as it targets ₹80,000 crore from disinvestment and asset monetisation in FY27

Budget 2026 makes employment room for disabled, but not in public spaces

The Budget gives us a clear image of inclusion at work. What it does not yet show is whether inclusion is meant to extend beyond the desk

FM Sitharaman shows adequate caution in drawing up a conservative Budget

It is useful to remember that the miracle economies to our East, the so-called Asian Tigers, sustained high growth for decades by following prudent fiscal policies

FAST-DS: Pay fee and gain immunity from harsher Black Money Act

The scheme's key drawback is the low monetary thresholds of Rs 1 crore and Rs 5 crore, which limit participation

Unspent ₹43,636 cr lies in states' SNA accounts despite higher allocations

More than Rs 43,000 crore remains unutilised in states' SNA accounts under major centrally sponsored schemes, even as Budget sharply raises allocations for education, water and nutrition programmes

Fiscal policy planning: Why India needs a clearer medium-term plan

India's fiscal discipline has improved, but high debt, future spending pressures and bond-market constraints make deeper consolidation increasingly difficult

Centre must push prudent state spending to improve general-govt debt levels

Centre must encourage prudent spending by state governments to improve general-government debt levels

IDBI Bank extends rally, stock up 4%; analyst predicts further 18% upside

IDBI Bank stock has gained 13 per cent in February so far after the Union Budget rekindled hopes of disinvestment. Bonanza technical analyst expects the stock to target ₹125 - ₹130 in the near-term.

We framed this Budget on a larger plank, not based on any one incident: FM

The India-US trade deal, had it come a little earlier, would not have made the Union Budget any different, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said

A season for textiles, from Union Budget to biggest India Art Fair so far

As textiles return to the policy spotlight, India Art Fair reflects this moment, exploring fabric and fibre as living archives of labour, identity, and cultural memory

India's cities need mobility reform, not just infrastructure spending

The Budget puts cities at the heart of growth, but without fixing buses, walking and last-mile links, India's urban mobility crisis will keep choking productivity

2019 to 2026: Of Sitharaman's saris, weaves and the fiscal fine print

Each drape, border and weave has echoed the fiscal moment-tight seams in lean years, bolder colours in recovery, steadier textures as India's economic story unfolded, measured carefully in six yards

Budget sends mixed signals on PLI push across key manufacturing sectors

Allocations for 2026-27 across 14 sectors reveal clear winners and laggards

Container scheme to attract ₹1 trillion investments, says Sonowal

Container support scheme will lead to capacity equal to 10% of global demand

US tariffs not the only factor for Customs duty changes: CBIC chairman

CBIC Chairman Vivek Chaturvedi explains the Budget's calibrated customs duty exemptions, SEZ flexibility and tariff reforms amid global trade headwinds