The Hindu

Budget 2026 avoids major direct tax cuts, raising concerns for individuals and corporations seeking relief. Fiscal prudence and subdued revenue projections signal a cautious approach amid global economic uncertainties.

Maruti Suzuki celebrates record-high January sales, driven by strong domestic demand and a significant surge in exports

In this cartoon collection, Pocket-size politics shows how high-level policy hits the average persons wallet

The seasonally adjusted HSBC India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), rose from a two-year low of 55 in December to 55.4 in January

Oracle, chaired by billionaire Larry Ellison, said it plans to achieve its funding objectives using a combination of debt and equity financing

A collection of articles on what the Budget proposes for infrastructure

Forex traders said for the rupee, the budget offered reassurance, not relief. Moreover, the governments high borrowing plan is likely to weigh on investor sentiments

A collection of articles on what the budget offers for social sector

The earlier rules did not affect Apples South Korean rival Samsung as almost all of its phones are made in its own Indian factories, and not by contract manufacturers

A collection of articles on what the Budget offers for the economy.

The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 302 points to 81,024.94 during initial trade. The 50-share NSE Nifty went up by 59.25 points to 24,884.70

Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang has insisted the US tech giant will make a huge investment in OpenAI

BMS national vice president M. Jagadiswara Rao noted that while the emphasis on labour-intensive sectors, along with initiatives like Samarth 2.0 and MSME liquidity and equity support may generate employment, without adequate wages and social security protection, it cannot be termed as inclusive development

The Dalai Lama won his first Grammy for audio book, narration and storytelling recording, beating out Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson

According to the Budget document, the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, inter alia, provide for compensation and an interest on the compensation to be awarded by the tribunal to an individual or his/her legal heir, on account of death or permanent disability or any bodily injury under the said Act

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman spoke about the efforts that are being made to ensure a better India for students while drawing a contrast with the India she grew up in

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the Budget had nothing to offer to people of the State. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership said that the infrastructure push through rail and freight corridors will push economy of the State.

Deficit reduction in FY27 is driven largely by cuts in development expenditure, particularly in the rural and agricultural sectors

The arena of welfare spending has now shifted to the States, while the Centre continues to drive the agenda by legislating and setting norms

In the context of Indias rapidly evolving security requirements, its defence budget is middling. Our security outlays must be assessed in the context of the resources committed by nations that pose a threat to India, rather than in isolation

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the Budget had nothing to offer to people of the State. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership said that the infrastructure push through rail and freight corridors will push economy of the State.

The government should have gone back to the drawing board if its existing strategies were not working

Budget 2026-27 needs to be read in the context of much geopolitical turmoil

Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the Budget overlooked the concerns and priorities of Himachal Pradesh, even as he raised serious concerns regarding the recently tabled 16thFinance Commission

The Budget has a slew of long- and short-term measures with a view to maintain continuity over short-term policy stimuli

Budget will provide opportunities to the youth, security to farmers, encouragement to entrepreneurs, relief to the middle class, respect to workers, and new impetus for innovation, says Adityanath

The Union Budget 2026-27 chose prudence over adventurism, and multipronged measures over Big Bang reforms

In todays speech, the Finance Minister spoke about the governments aim to develop inland and coastal shipping so that its share in total cargo carried through road, rail and water increases from 6% to 12%

A significant highlight of the Budget is its focus on bridging education with employment and enterprise

The Social Justice Departments allocation for 2026-27 is 13,687.59 crore and the Tribal Affairs Ministry has been allocated 15,421.97 crore; the allocations have increased by 16.69% and 42.47% respectively compared with their respective Revised Estimates for the current fiscal

Trade unions said the Budget reduced capital investment to corporate investment

Allocation for the scheme was 350 crore with farmers organisations like All India Kisan Sabha stating that the new initiative was just another rhetoric

Government to provide tax holiday for foreign companies offering cloud services using Indian data centres

Infrastructure proposals in the Union Budget, including freight and industrial corridors and tourism projects, have triggered a political clash in West Bengal ahead of Assembly elections, with the BJP pitching development and the TMC calling the announcements political signalling.

No hike for Kisan Samman Nidhi; agri research and education budget drops 4.8%; Food and PDS gets 10% hike; new multilingual AI tool, high-value cash crops get extra support; government did not fulfil promises to farmers, says BKS

The Union Budget 2026 has cut urban development allocations by 11.6%, lowering funding from 96,777 crore to 85,522 crore. This reduction raises concerns about the sustainability of essential services amid rising challenges such as mass migration, climate change and infrastructure stagnation in cities

The intention behind raising STT is likely to reduce speculative trading, especially short-term, high-frequency trades in derivatives like options

Credit-linked subsidies, start-upsupportand veterinary expansion announced

Indian banking sector today is characterised by strong balance sheets, historic highs in profitability, improved asset quality and coverage exceeding 98% of villages in the country, says Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced a fresh allocation of 10,000 crore to the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) growth fund in the Budget speech on Sunday (February 1, 2026), in a bid to give fresh incentives to lakhs of small businesses and enterprises in the country.

While exempting 17 cancer medicines from basic customs duty was welcome, there is little evidence to suggest that companies passed on the benefit to the customers in earlier instances

Budget 2026 sets the Centres capital expenditure target at 12.2 lakh crore, proposes dedicated rare earth corridors, construction of new national waterways and measures to improve industrial productivity; poll-bound States such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu find mention

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also said that a National Destination Digital Knowledge Grid to digitally document all places of cultural, spiritual and historic significance would be set up

The Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharamans direct tax announcements during the Budget 2026 speech marked a major overhaul in Indias tax system. At the heart of the reforms is the new Income Tax Act of 2025, which will replace the decades-old law, from April 2026, with simpler rules and redesigned forms to make compliance easier for ordinary taxpayers.

The modest increase of 2,000 crore in Central allocations falls far short of addressing the regions long-standing developmental gap or providing the stimulus required for revival of existing industrial units, says FCIK

A collection of articles by eminent personalities decoding the Budget.

Although the allocation last year was significant, the Jal Shakti Ministry, according to the Union Budget documents, expects to spend only about 17,000 crore when this financial year ends