India Budget 2026 Expectations LIVE: In less than a week, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will table the Budget 2026-27, laying out the government’s blueprint for India’s economic pathway in the upcoming months.
Ahead of Union Budget 2026, taxpayers and industry leaders have expressed many demands from the government.
The FM will deliver her Budget speech on Sunday, 1 February. Notably, this is her ninth consecutive Union Budget speech — a record for India.
Here is all you need to know about the India Budget 2026.
Read more: Budget 2026: Centre convenes all-party meeting today – What’s on the agenda?
Budget 2026 Key dates
Here are the key dates of India Budget 2026:
28 January: The Budget Session will commence at the Parliament as President Droupadi Murmu delivers a joint address to both the Houses.
29 January: According to the provisional calendar issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, the House will also meet on this day.
29 January: FM Sitharaman will to table the Economic Survey at 11 am on this day. The Economic Survey, which presents a comprehensive state of the economy, is presented by the finance minister a day ahead of the Budget.
1 February: Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Budget 2026 at 11 am at the Lok Sabha.
13 February: The first half of the Budget Session ends.
9 March: The second half of the Budget Session will begin on this day.
2 April: The final day of the Budget Session, after which Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will be adjourned sine die.
When will Budget 2026 be presented?
Union Budget 2026 will be presented on 1 February, 2026, Sunday. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to present the Union Budget on this day.
Key sectors to watch out for in Budget 2026
Budget 2026 will focus on the growth of India to a historic place through allocation to different sectors. The key sectors to look out for this year include railways, infrastructure, urban development, manufacturing, auto, defence, electronics, MSME, renewable energy and AI among others.
Other areas like healthcare, tourism, agriculture, and logistics are also likely to get allocations from the government for their benefit.
What happened in Budget 2025?
In last year’s Budget 2025, FM Sitharaman gave a mega boost to Indian taxpayers by cutting income tax on earnings up to ₹12 lakh, benefitting millions of middle class taxpayers. For the salaried class, the non-taxable income under the new tax regime increased to ₹12.75 lakh after standard deduction. She also announced the New Income Tax Act, 2025, which will come into effect from 1 April.
Follow along for Union Budget LIVE Updates 2026 here.
