Amid a fragile global environment marked by geopolitical tensions, trade fragmentation and financial vulnerabilities, India’s path to progress in FY26 has been commendable. The Economic Survey 2025–26 reaffirms India’s position as the fastest-growing major economy, projecting real GDP growth at 7.4% in FY26 and 6.8–7.2% in FY27. This strong performance is driven, inter alia, by…
In her previous Budget in February 2025, Ms. Sitharaman had also outlined an alternate path to fiscal consolidation by focussing on the Centre’s debt-to-GDP ratio and reducing it to 50% (with leeway of 1% above and below) by March 2031. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto The Centre’s fiscal deficit, which is broadly the amount by…
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman delivered her ninth consecutive Union Budget on 1 February 2026. Dubbed as ‘Yuva Shakti-Driven Budget’, the Union Budget focused on comprehensive economic reforms towards creating employment, boosting productivity and accelerating growth. FM Sitharaman unveiled a wide-ranging set of proposals in the Union Budget 2026, covering everything from direct tax reforms to…
Budget 2026-27 signals a transition away from pandemic-era crisis management to what is now a borrowing-heavy doctrine for financing growth and capital expenditure (capex) spending. By guiding fiscal deficit to 4.3% of GDP and scaling public capital expenditure to ₹12.2 lakh crore, the government aims to project a broader infra-capex enabled vision of a ‘Viksit…
The government laid out a fresh set of initiatives in the budget aimed at deepening India’s corporate bond market, with finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposing the introduction of total return swaps (TRS) on the bonds and an incentive for municipalities to help them raise funds. The plan marks a significant shift in how investors can…
File photo of U.S. President Donald Trump with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. | Photo Credit: Reuters Indicating a positive turn in a bilateral relationship that had been under strain because of multiple issues, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that “Made in India” products will “now” attract a “reduced tariff of 18%” in the U.S., after…
BENGALURU: The Centre has proposed ending a long-standing tax uncertainty for Indian units of overseas tech services firms and global capability centres (GCCs) by setting a uniform profit margin for taxing their IT services in the country. In the Union Budget for 2026-27 presented on Sunday, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said a fixed tax will…
The FM mentioned in her Budget speech that Odisha, Karnataka, and Kerala will develop Turtle Trails to protect and promote nesting sites. | Photo Credit: Asit Kumar In her Union Budget 2026 speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman explicitly named 14 States. However, when accounting for the States and Union Territories associated with the 27 specific…
The Union government has proposed two targeted initiatives—Divyangjan Kaushal Yojana and Divyang Sahara Yojana—aimed at expanding dignified livelihood opportunities and improving access to assistive technology for persons with disabilities (Divyangjans). Under the Divyangjan Kaushal Yojana, the focus will be on skill development in sectors such as information technology (IT), animation, visual effects, gaming and comics…
Union Minister Telecom Jyotiraditya Scindia. File. | Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA The government has proposed to increase the outlay for the Telecom Ministry to ₹73,990 crore, mainly due to a significant rise in capital infusion for state-run telecom firm BSNL. The increased allocation is for various projects, including BharatNet, capital requirement of BSNL, including…
