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.
Taxpayers should consider ITR-U if they omitted income, wrongly claimed deductions or exemptions, or made reporting errors that led to a shortfall in tax payment.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi stayed calm, avoided public confrontation, and focused on India's long-term interests to steady ties with the United States.
'We frequently discuss AI, but we're waiting for other countries to develop solutions rather than creating intellectual property ourselves.' 'We haven't yet produced comprehensive AI solutions developed in India for global markets.'
'This Budget has a one-year agenda, which you can call the sprint, and the marathon is towards Viksit Bharat.'
'4 lakh to 5 lakh people graduating in computer science getting jobs in software companies will not happen.'
'In the last one year, we have added more than Rs 1.7 trillion, and we are on track.'
Streamlining enterprise data, having an AI policy, reskilling people, and cultural transformation have been cited by experts as key.
Foreign portfolio investors withdrew over Rs 22,530 crore ($2.5 billion) from Indian equities so far this month amid rising US bond yields and a stronger dollar, continuing their selling streak from last year. This came following an outflow of Rs 1.66 lakh crore ($18.9 billion) recorded in 2025, triggered by volatile currency movements, global trade tensions and concerns over potential US tariffs and stretched market valuations.
India has always led in developer talent and now has a strong opportunity to lead in AI talent, OpenAI Global Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) Jason Kwon said on Thursday as the ChatGPT-maker launched OpenAI Academy in partnership with IndiaAI Mission.
Graphic designers, writers, testers, draftsmen and editors are seeing their traditional roles replaced by AI, warns Dr Anshuka Kulkarni, associate professor and head, School of Creative Studies, DYPU.
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.
Renewables sector stole the show as Andhra Pradesh bagged investments to the tune of around Rs 13.25 trillion during the three-day CII Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam. The sector accounted for the bulk of Rs 5.33 trillion out of the memorandum of understanding (MoUs) signed during the summit.
This Budget positions India's taxation ideology as not merely a revenue source but as a strategic catalyst for growth, inclusion and long-term confidence.
Prosus, the Amsterdam-based technology investor with net assets valued at over $200 billion spanning payments to e-commerce, has identified India as one of its most critical growth markets, and is increasing its strategic investments here.
By giving students powerful tools early, these companies build long-term trust and affinity.
'There are new job roles that are emerging because of AI.'
Shares of brokerage-related companies nosedived 18 per cent on Sunday after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed raising securities transaction tax on commodity futures to 0.05 per cent from 0.02 per cent in the Union Budget 2026-27.
In a world fractured by uncertainty, India stands out for its policy consistency, paired with sustained ambition, points out Pritam Banerjee.
'We should learn from the wild world on how they live harmoniously.'
'Given that the population is almost evenly split, the Indian economy cannot grow without women participating in the workforce.' 'While women's participation has increased, it is still well below 40 per cent,' says Kartik Narayan, CEO of the professional networking and jobs platform, Apna.
India's computer services exports have risen 30 per cent since the advent of ChatGPT in November 2022, even as overall services exports have plateaued, World Bank's South Asia Chief Economist Franziska Ohnsorge said, terming Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the conclusion of more trade agreements that can trigger a "manufacturing renaissance", as the two big investment opportunities for India in coming years.
The platform has seen a growth of 70% in watch time for South content, which is more than the national average.The South has outperformed the rest of India in subscription depth, retention and connected TV adoption.
Knowledge workers and mid-career professionals in India are hopeful that artificial intelligence will positively impact their roles, even as concerns about job displacement persist, especially among younger professionals, a top official of a human capital management solutions provider has said. At a time when AI has become a critical part of an organisation's functioning, many professionals see the positive possibilities of AI.
'The real story of 2025 is that India officially stopped being a 'market of the future' and started acting as the world's primary economic engine.'
FDI inflows into India are expected to register robust growth in 2026, supported by strong macroeconomic fundamentals, big-ticket investment announcements, sustained efforts to improve the ease of doing business, and a new generation of investment-linked trade pacts.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on Friday announced the launch of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Experience Zone and Design Studio in London, and said its continued investments in the UK will create 5,000 new jobs across the country over the next three years. Currently, TCS supports over 42,000 direct and indirect jobs across the United Kingdom. In FY2024, TCS contributed 3.3 billion pounds to the UK economy, according to a regulatory filing by the company.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday asked fintech firms to focus on risk management at a time when criminals are using AI to mimic voices, clone identities and create lifelike videos to manipulate people.
Digital Connexion, a joint venture between Brookfield, Reliance Industries and Digital Realty, on Wednesday announced an investment of $11 billion till 2030 for building 1 gigawatt (Gw) state-of-the-art AI-native, purpose-built data centres in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
'The Indian developer community is one of the most vibrant communities.' 'Indian builders are incredibly passionate, curious, and excited to embrace new technologies.'
Budget 2026 sticks to fiscal discipline, shuns populist measures despite five key state elections coming up, but ends up rattling stock markets with a higher transaction tax on derivatives trading.
Ask rediffGURU and tax expert Mihir Tanna your income tax-related questions.
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 Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) will let Category-I and-II alternative investment funds (AIFs) run a dedicated "co-investment" (CIV) scheme for accredited investors, doing away with an earlier requirement of a separate portfolio-manager licence. The rules notified on Monday are aimed at reducing compliance burden for the AIF managers.
US-based chip maker Intel has signed an agreement with Tata Group to manufacture and assemble semiconductors in India for the local market, the Indian conglomerate said on Monday.
OpenAI on Friday said it will set up its first India office in New Delhi later this year, underlining the swift uptake of its AI tools in a market that is ChatGPT's second-largest after the US and among its fastest-growing. OpenAI said it has officially established an entity in India and has begun hiring a dedicated local team.
'Digital arrests are the cutting edge of the problem and the most challenging part of the ecosystem right now.'
They are venturing into allied businesses, which range from starting talent management agencies to music labels to tap into every possible monetisable opportunity to appeal to investors.
Earlier this year, when global software giant Salesforce set out to appoint a new chief financial officer (CFO), the role came with an addition. Instead of hiring solely a CFO, the company wanted someone who would also play an integral role in operations.
India's information technology (IT) spend is projected to touch $176.3 billion in 2026, rising 10.6 per cent from 2025, and outpacing the 9.8 per cent growth expected globally, according to the latest forecast by Gartner Inc., a business and technology insights company.
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