Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, right, addresses a press conference after presenting the Union Budget 2026-27, in New Delhi, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary is also seen. | Photo Credit: PTI The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has seen an increase of 9.44% in the total allocation in the Union…
Where Budget 2025 was largely dominated by the income-tax rate and slab relaxations, Budget 2026 has done away with Big Bang measures. Instead, its scattershot approach, through various sectoral and issue-based measures, when taken together, is aimed at propelling India’s growth over the medium term. Given the level of geoeconomic and geopolitical uncertainties that the…
As is widely understood, the annual Budget is a political document responding to short to medium-term economic challenges. Formally, it is an annual revenue and expenditure statement outlining the government’s priorities. As with any financial statement, the fine print matters the most, not obvious from the media headlines. Yet, it is useful to read the…
Budget 2026-27 for the social sector is unusual, as it does not contain any new flagship schemes, which had become par for the course. Low allocations and spending However, the neglect of the sector in actual allocations continues. Schemes targeted at the most vulnerable sections of the population — children, pregnant women, the aged, single…
One interesting thing about the Budget is that people usually do not do a reality check vis-a-vis the previous Budget because the current one takes centre stage. Since Budget 2026-27 is quite run of the mill, it will not be out of place to start with the last Budget. If there is one thing you…
A woman plants rice saplings in a paddy field in Nagaon on February 1, 2026. | Photo Credit: ANI The direction of fiscal policy is influenced by the nature of fiscal policy rules. The present fiscal policy rule of the Union government is informed by what can be termed as sound finance rules, where the…
Budget 2026-27 comes at a time when the economy is experiencing a rare goldilocks period of high economic growth and low inflation. The Indian economy has become the fourth largest, overtaking Japan, retaining its tag of being one of the fastest growing economies. Beneath the headline numbers lie some inherent challenges, which could be amplified…
All India Trade Union Congress leader Amarjeet Kaur said the Budget was full of rhetoric with no substance for the common masses, only future promises. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto The allocation for the Union Labour Ministry remained unchanged at around ₹32,666 crore like the last Budget. Trade unions alleged that the government neglected the…
While acknowledging the strains created by the external global environment, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday (February 1, 2026) presented Budget 2026, with the aim to increase productivity across sectors and ensure employment generation. Union Budget 2026: Follow the highlights from February 1, 2026 Presenting her record ninth consecutive Union Budget, Ms. Sitharaman said…
Union Budget 2026-27 The Indian space program has moved out of its post-pandemic slump and is entering a phase of sustained, if also cautious, consolidation. Since 2012-2013, the national space budget has grown by 182%. This sounds massive but most of the growth actually happened in the last decade, especially between 2014 and 2019. Allocations…
