Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's biggest challenge will be to find a new growth driver, particularly against the backdrop of a global economy ravaged by heightened uncertainty and fragmentation, financial markets on a precipice, and global commodity prices on a continued uptrend.
No income tax relief, but compliance burden eased for youth and middle class through lower TCS.
With the Union Budget 2026, India's 74th, fast approaching, all eyes are once again on New Delhi's North Block as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is preparing to table it on February 1, 2026, marking her ninth Budget presentation in a row.
The Budget emerges as a measured, credible and forward-looking policy document that reinforces India's commitment to remaining a stable, reform-oriented economy amid an increasingly fragmented global landscape, says A Balasubramanian.
Reiterating Sitharaman's statement that this is a youth power budget, Modi emphasised that the provisions made in the budget will prepare leaders, innovators and creators across different sectors.
The Centre has announced that the Viksit Bharat -- Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act will come into force across the country from July 1, replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.
Sitharaman continues with the tradition she set in 2019, carrying the budget speech in a 'bahi-khata', which she used after dropping the briefcase tradition.
Investors and startup executives are calling for extending the period for an entity to be recognised as a startup from 10 to 15 years for deep-tech companies.
Several teachers in Kota have been booked for allegedly holding an unauthorised demonstration against Rajasthan's Education Minister, including burning his effigy and raising slogans.
After the last Budget's announcement of a major tax relief for those earning an annual salary of less than Rs 12 lakh, there is not much that individuals can look forward to in the forthcoming Budget, points out A K Bhattacharya.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced the state government will move the Supreme Court to vacate the stay on a CBI probe into the alleged Gorkhaland Territorial Administration teacher recruitment scam. The decision follows complaints of corruption and illegal teacher recruitment within the GTA.
Motorola's latest Moto G37 duo arrives equipped with the capable MediaTek Dimensity 6400 processor and boots the fresh Android 16 platform straight out of the box.
CNG prices in Delhi have been increased by Re 1 per kg, marking the second increase in less than a week, according to Indraprastha Gas Ltd.
'Since Ram Charan is such a big actor, I was a little apprehensive initially. My character (in the film) comes from a high caste but his does not. So I was in two minds, how would he take it?'
What items did Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman make cheaper?
The government on Sunday gave a strong push to upgradation and expansion of healthcare infrastructure, medical education and pharma sector with the Union Budget 2026-27 announcing a slew of steps, including those aimed at making India a global hub for allied healthcare professionals and biopharma manufacturing.
Bollywood has announced plenty of high-profile sequels with fanfare, only for a few of them to vanish into endless delays, casting chaos and development hell.
In the 15 Union Budget presentation days of the Narendra Modi government since it came to power in 2014, the BSE benchmark Sensex has ended in negative territory eight times.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her ninth consecutive Union Budget, focusing on investments and growth. The speech was marked by its business-like approach and lack of cultural references, while opposition members raised concerns about regional representation.
Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have been fiscally stressed for a considerable period of time, and there are no easy ways to mobilise revenues to meet the cost of the promised freebies, particularly in the prevailing difficult economic scenario, points out M Govinda Rao.
The absence of NCP-SP leaders from a key Maha Vikas Aghadi meeting in Maharashtra has ignited concerns about opposition unity ahead of the crucial budget session and upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.
India's home-grown EV startups say the government's auto PLI scheme is helping big players while shutting out innovators building electric two- and three-wheelers from scratch.
HDFC Bank's shares experienced a dip on Wednesday after a newspaper report alleged that the bank made illegal payments to the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation to secure large deposits, raising concerns about corporate governance.
The Union Budget backs skilling across animation, gaming and comics. But creators and studios confront a hard question: who owns what comes next?
The Michael Jackson biopic, Michael, has made an explosive debut at the worldwide box office, setting new records for the highest opening weekend for a music biopic.
Budget 2026 is an intentional and ambitious one - From manufacturing growth to services supremacy, from technology consumption to AI-powered transformation. This is the blueprint for a $7 trillion economy built on intelligence, not just scale.
The Budget offers a limited-time regularisation window with clear thresholds, defined payments, and immunity from penalty or prosecution.
Around 24 paise will come from borrowings and other liabilities, 10 paise from non-tax revenue like disinvestment, and 2 paise from non-debt capital receipts, the Budget documents showed.
Households should moderate large discretionary expenses for the time being.
'They should prioritise essential spending. They should maintain an emergency fund covering 6 to 12 months of expenses.'
The proposals outlined in Budget 2026-27 represent a carefully crafted, multi-year strategy designed to strengthen India's big bets on the path to Viksit Bharat 2047, says Sameer Gupta.
In 2025-26, the government allocated Rs 6,81,210 crore for defence budget.
The Indian government has increased import duties on gold and silver from 6 per cent to 15 per cent to curb inbound shipments of precious metals amid a rising import bill due to the West Asia crisis.
'We kept this Budget on a larger plank, rather than on one incident, however serious.'
This single amendment, unfortunately, overshadows much of the Budget's promise, explains Harsh Roongta.
India's fertiliser subsidy bill is projected to increase by approximately 70,000 crore, reaching around 2.41 trillion in FY27, primarily due to rising import costs exacerbated by the ongoing West Asia crisis.
George Russell is aiming for a comeback at the Canadian Grand Prix with car upgrades and a renewed focus on fundamental racing skills after teammate Kimi Antonelli's strong performance.
As many as 17 cancer drugs, along with medicines and food for special medical needs for seven rare diseases, components for microwave ovens are some of the items that are set to become cheaper with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announcing cuts in customs duty in the Union Budget 2026-27.
The Budget reframes healthcare as a strategic national capability, backing biopharma innovation, workforce expansion and technology-led governance to power India's next growth phase.
'In all these years of rupee depreciation, of rising oil prices, of inflation caused by import dependence, not one leader had the courage to look the people in the eye and say: Please do this for your country.'
