The Union Budget for 2026-27, presented by Finance Minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday, which was a first, had an excellent domestic macro backdrop. According to the first advance estimates, gross domestic product (GDP) in constant prices is projected to grow 7.4 per cent in the current financial year, against 6.5 per cent in 2024-25.
She added that the government has extended the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana for five years which is benefiting 80 crore people of the country.
The finance minister will also visit the school in Tamil Nadu where she studied from KG to Class 5.
With the tablet carefully kept inside a red cover with a golden-coloured national emblem embossed on it instead of the briefcase, Parliament will be her next destination after the call on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Netizens broke out into a meme fest as they welcomed Nirmala Sitharaman's tax break.
'Any finality in such matters requires political views. We will review it closer to the full Budget.'
Three laws passed in Parliament could boost central revenues, reshape GST cess flows, shift MGNREGA costs to states and create new budget headroom ahead of the 2026-2027 Union Budget, points out A K Bhattacharya.
After years of rapid expansion, the Centre's capital spending growth eases as private investment shows early signs of revival, points out A K Bhattacharya.
Take a look at our leaders taking to the yoga mats on this special day.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said Rs 1.5 lakh crore will be provided towards 50-year interest free loans to states, for infrastructure development. Also, an asset monetisation plan will be launched for 2025-30 period to infuse Rs 10 lakh crore capital in new projects.
The fiscal deficit for FY25 has been pegged at 4.8 per cent of GDP and at 4.4 per cent for FY26, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday. Presenting the Budget 2025-26, she said net market borrowings are estimated at Rs 11.54 lakh crore for next fiscal year.
Stock market is gearing up for an eventful week ahead where key triggers such as quarterly earnings from corporates, the US Fed interest rate decision and the upcoming Union Budget for 2026-27 would grab the limelight, analysts said.
To digitise Customs processes, the Union finance ministry is planning to integrate the Indian Customs Electronic Gateway (ICEGATE), Risk Management System (RMS), and Indian Customs Electronic Data Interchange System (ICES) into a single unified national Customs platform, according to government sources.
The Union Budget on Sunday proposed a tax holiday till 2047 for foreign companies that provide cloud services to customers globally using data centres located in India, signalling the government's push to make the country a major hub for AI and digital infrastructure.
The Budget should undertake further reductions in import tariffs and seriously consider an announcement of India's intention to join one or both of the two Asian mega-regional free trade agreements, suggests Shankar Acharya, former chief economic adviser to the Government of India.
The Union Budget on Sunday proposed a tax holiday till 2047 for foreign companies that provide cloud services to customers globally using data centres located in India, signalling the government's push to make the country a major hub for AI and digital infrastructure.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday said the government is close to reaching saturation in implementing social sector schemes designed to provide basic necessities to the poor. Addressing the students of Hindu College on the occasion of its 125th anniversary, she said the time has come for India to become economically 'aatmanirbhar' (self-reliant) and march forward to becoming a developed nation by 2047. Regretting that 60 years since Independence passed without any sense of urgency, Sitharaman said, "We have laid the material foundation for a Viksit Bharat" and empowering people by providing basic necessities to all.
Two of the three strikes are related to the gig economy, a centrepiece of the new labour Codes.
She said I treated her like a bachchi. At another moment, she said I had gone to various people and 'bitched' about her. She also threatened to bring the entire matter to the PM's notice. A revealing excerpt from Subhash Chandra Garg's We Also Make Policy: An Insider's Account of How the Finance Ministry Functions.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said that GST collection from online gaming has increased 412 per cent in six months from October 1, 2023, when 28 per cent tax was levied on these services. Briefing media on the decisions taken at the 54th meeting of the GST Council, Sitharaman said the status on revenue collection from casinos, online gaming and horse races after six months of implementation of 28 per cent GST was presented to the Council. "The revenue from online gaming has increased by 412 per cent and reached Rs 6,909 crore in just for six months.
'The trade deficit in some sectors is huge and that is an area of opportunity to localise.'
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday announced that comprehensive development of Vishnupad Temple corridor at Gaya and Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya in Bihar will be supported by the government to transform them into world-class pilgrim and tourist destinations. These corridors will be modelled on the successful Kashi Vishwanath Temple Corridor, she said. Vishnupad Temple is one of the most ancient Hindu shrines located next to the Falgu river, while the Mahabodhi Temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
With Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget presentation lasting for about one hour 31 minutes on Tuesday, the finance minister's budget speech this year became the shortest ever since 2019.
India's first maritime lender, state-owned Sagarmala Finance Corporation Ltd (SMFCL) hit the ground running with a Rs 4,300 crore disbursement announcement last Tuesday, within months of being registered as a non-banking financial company (NBFC) in June 2025.
The 2026-27 Budget, seeking to harmonise the government's imperative to grant certainty while ensuring a rational tax policy, had several notable announcements to usher in halcyon days, says Mukesh Butani.
Sometimes, the most powerful Budgets whisper and the wisest investors listen, notes Ramalingam Kalirajan.
Celebs and commoners cast their votes in the second phase of the Lok Sabha election on Friday, April 26, 2024
Rajya Sabha witnessed heated exchanges between the treasury and opposition benches after Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge made remarks on the manner in which political parties select women candidates from weaker sections and raised the issue of 'delayed' GST payments to non-Bharatiya Janata Party ruled states.
Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday assumed charge as the Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister for the second consecutive term and is slated to soon present the final Budget for FY '25 that is going to set the tone for the Modi 3.0 government's priorities and direction for Viksit Bharat. Upon her reaching the North Block office, Sitharaman was greeted by Finance Secretary T V Somanathan and other top officials. Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary was also present. Chaudhary assumed charge on Tuesday evening.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said the Indian economy may have slowed down but there is no threat of a recession.
Google plans to invest $15 billion over the next five years in setting an artificial intelligence hub in Visakhapatnam, a senior official of the company said on Tuesday.
After a brief health scare at the year-end, when she was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi on December 26 with a reported 'minor stomach infection, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy in New Delhi on Friday, January 6, 2022.
Advertising legend Piyush Pandey has passed away. He was 70. The news of Piyush Pandey's demise was shared by columnist Suhel Seth on X on Friday morning.
Finance ministers of states demanded an increase in allocation under 50-year interest-free loan scheme, while fiscally stressed states like Punjab and Kerala pitched for a special package and borrowing flexibility, sources said on Friday. In a pre-budget meeting with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, states have also urged for higher borrowing limits to support fiscal activities, besides additional funds for Jal Jeevan Mission.
Sitharaman added that no Union finance minister can play with the Finance Commission's recommendations.
The government's Budget announcements providing tax holiday for data centres, setting up of city economic regions (CERs) and funding to improve infrastructure in Tier-II and -III cities may give an indirect boost to India's realty sector, said industry executives.
Between August and September Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman toured the length and breadth of India meeting traders, experts and entrepreneurs to gauge the pulse of the nation, reports Ruchika Chitravanshi.
Bharatiya Janata Party MPs Sunny Deol and Sanjay Dhotre were among those who missed casting their votes in the presidential poll on Monday.
The additional amount will be exclusively earmarked for the hospitality and related segments to help them recover to pre-pandemic levels. Presenting the Budget 2022-23 in Parliament, the finance minister said the Credit Guarantee Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) scheme will be revamped with required infusion of funds.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said the country's economic growth is expected at 9.2 per cent in the current financial year, on the back of a sharp rebound in the economy. She also said virtuous cycle of investment is expected to revive on account of capex (capital expenditure) and crowd in private investment. "Government focus since 2014 is on poor and marginalised.
