General Budget is a terminology earlier used to differentiate between the Union Budget with the Railway Budget. Full-fledged budgets are titled "Union Budget", while interim Budgets are titled just that.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the general budget in Parliament on February 1. The Budget session of Parliament begins on January 28 with President Droupadi Murmu addressing both houses.
Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned sine die, concluding a Budget session marked by the passage of key legislations and the defeat of a Constitution amendment bill on women's reservation. The session saw frequent opposition protests and discussions on various issues, including the West Asia conflict.
Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, the UN Secretary-General's Special Advocate for Financial Health, visited Mumbai to understand India's digital public infrastructure, including UPI and AI, in improving financial health for salaried individuals. She interacted with healthcare professionals and SalarySe leaders, praising India's advancements in financial inclusion and technology's role in empowering individuals.
The Budget session of Parliament will be held from January 28 to April 2, featuring the President's address, the Economic Survey, and the presentation of the general Budget.
Employees of Mumbai's BEST undertaking have launched an indefinite strike, severely impacting public transport and electricity services. The strike, called by a joint action committee, demands budget merger with BMC, settlement of dues, and implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission, among other issues. Despite court orders and MESMA invocation, the strike continues, causing widespread inconvenience to millions of commuters and electricity consumers.
rediffGURU Ulhas Joshi answers your mutual fund queries.
Eighteen of India's 28 states exceeded the fiscal deficit ceiling of 3 per cent of GSDP in FY25, a deterioration comparable to the Covid year of 2020-21, according to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). The report also noted a decline in states reporting a revenue surplus, with Bihar, Mizoram, and Telangana moving into deficit.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said there are some parties that have expressed their inability to attend this particular meeting for their own reasons.
Nearly 150 Indian Super League players, including national team members, face an uncertain future as their contracts expire amid ongoing disputes between the AIFF and clubs over the league's structure.
'We won not (only) because we were able to carry out long-range precision strikes.' 'That is, of course, one of the reasons but we had better situational awareness about what's happening than Pakistan.'
The Odisha Gymnastics Association is under investigation for allegedly using the name of its deceased president to secure funds from the state government. A complaint questions the association's governance and financial practices, including the sanctioning of funds from multiple agencies for the same event.
Dinesh Trivedi's experience as a businessperson and his fluency in Bengali are expected to be crucial in strengthening India-Bangladesh relations, particularly in attracting Indian investments to Dhaka.
Too many EMIs draining your salary? Ramalingam Kalirajan explains the safe borrowing limit that protects your income from a dangerous debt trap.
The Indian central government has reduced its total expenditure by approximately 60,000 crore in FY26, below its revised estimate, to successfully achieve the fiscal deficit target of 4.4 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), according to the latest data from the Controller General of Accounts (CGA).
Siddaramaiah met Rahul Gandhi to discuss his future role within the Congress party after resigning as Chief Minister of Karnataka. The meeting addressed his potential future roles and the formation of the new Karnataka government.
Top leaders of opposition parties including Congress' Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, TMC's Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav of Rashtriya Janata Dal and Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray, besides Left leaders and those from smaller parties, are likely to attend the meeting at the Constitution Club in the national capital.
A lesson for India is to clearly define objectives beforehand, so that the adversary or other parties do not attempt to mitigate them midway.
The Congress party has strongly criticized the Union Budget, calling it 'lacklustre' and 'disappointing,' claiming it fails to address the needs of farmers, unemployed youth, and other key sectors.
Under Mission Sudarshan Chakra, the country's national security shield is to be expanded by 2035 to ensure comprehensive protection of both strategic and civilian critical infrastructure.
The first leg of the Budget session concluded with debates over the India-US trade deal and a former army chief's memoir, and will reassemble on March 9.
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.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy will virtually deliver the keynote address at the Harvard Kennedy School's AI symposium, focusing on the global AI landscape.
Cracks appeared in the opposition ranks as some parties showed willingness to participate in the budget debate, while the government insisted on equal speaking opportunities for all members amidst ongoing disruptions.
Here are the key numbers to watch out for in the Union Budget for 2025-26:
Sometimes, the most powerful Budgets whisper and the wisest investors listen, notes Ramalingam Kalirajan.
'Despite the large number of missiles and drones we have already launched, we still possess reserves and missile cities whose doors have not yet been opened,' says Iran's Consul-General Saeid Reza Mosayeb Motlagh.
'If you go by the capital expenditure, this is a good defence budget. But we will have to see if the government can keep defence spending at 2 per cent or higher in 2027-2028.'
If TVK MLAs and ministers are perceived as clean, or demonstrably cleaner than their predecessors, the credibility dividend will be enormous. The voter will feel rewarded, points out Ramesh Menon.
This is the first Budget in my memory of Budgets over the last half a century which has embraced upfront, enthusiastically and emphatically, technology, modernity and fiscal sobriety, notes Shreekant Sambrani.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi urges Indians to travel less, rising fuel prices are already changing driving habits.
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.
The fiscal tilt towards capex benefits companies in investment-related sectors like capital goods, defence equipment, engineering & construction and metal & mining. The planned cut in revenue expenditure will weigh on companies in consumption sectors like FMCG, consumer durables and retail.
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.'
'All this diversity that our country provides brings in a lot of learnings.' 'That is what I really end up sharing with the whole community.' 'But it all comes through making my shoes dirty.'
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.
'We kept this Budget on a larger plank, rather than on one incident, however serious.'
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a fiscal deficit target of 4.3% of GDP for FY27, continuing the path of fiscal consolidation. The government aims to reduce the debt-to-GDP ratio to 55.6% by BE 2026-27 and further to around 50% by March 2031.
India Inc on Sunday hailed the Union Budget 2026-27 as a 'structural shift' in the country's technology landscape, noting that the government is moving beyond fragmented pilots to build foundational layers where AI serves as a 'horizontal enabler' for the entire economy.
The budget session of the Delhi Assembly concluded with over 15 hours of legislative business. Speaker Vijender Gupta voiced concerns over the opposition's conduct during the session.
