Budget 2026 Expectations Highlights: Govt rejects Oppn demand for fresh debate on VB-G RAM G, SIR

Budget 2026 Expectations Highlights: The Budget Session of Parliament will run from January 28 to April 2, with a recess between February 13 and March 9.

Budget 2026 Expectations LIVE: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union budget 2026-27. (PTI Photo)

Budget 2026 Expectations Highlights: The government has turned down the Opposition’s demand for fresh discussions on the VB-G RAM G Act, which replaced the employment guarantee legislation MNGREGA, and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls during the Budget Session of Parliament starting on Wednesday. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said both matters were already debated at length in the previous session.

Oppn wants to talk US tariffs, air pollution: Rijiju said opposition members raised several issues, including electoral roll revision, US tariffs on Indian goods, foreign policy, air pollution, the state of the economy, and social media restrictions for young teens.

Story continues below this ad

When is the Union Budget 2026? Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget for 2026-27 on February 1, 2026, her ninth consecutive Budget and the third full Budget of the Modi-led NDA 3.0 government. The Budget Session of Parliament will run from January 28 to April 2, with a recess between February 13 and March 9.

Live Updates

Jan 28, 2026 08:55 PM IST

Union Budget 2026 Expectations Live: Building future architects through technology and industry-ready learning

Dr. Prof. Anand Achari, principal of VES College of Architecture, hopes that Budget 2026 will continue invest in faculty development, contemporary studios, and technologically advanced labs.

He said, "Industry-linked curricula that offer students hands-on exposure through live projects, internships, apprenticeships, and structured collaboration with the construction, design, and urban planning ecosystem are essential to bridge the persistent gap between classroom education and professional practice. Targeted incentives in the budget for such partnerships can help ensure graduates are job-ready and contribute meaningfully from the start of their careers."

Jan 28, 2026 07:27 PM IST

Union Budget 2026 Expectations Live: Strengthening the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision....fostering trusted digital engagement will only help' : Infobip spokesperson

Infobip spokesperson Harsha Solanki said while the Telecom Cyber Security Rules, reinforced by the DPDP Rules 2025, are helping organisations to safeguard data and creating a citizen-centric framework, it is also important to accelerate India’s journey toward a homegrown AI platform.

Currently the secure and compliant foundation is enabling India’s AI ecosystem to move from experimentation to measurable impact. Moving on, targeted investment, supported by strong policy measures, can help an environment for growth for homegrown AI platforms.

"Strengthening the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision and fostering trusted digital engagement across sectors will only help Indian innovations scale into globally competitive products and companies," added Solanki.

Jan 28, 2026 06:58 PM IST

Union Budget 2026 Expectations Live: How can AI add to India’s enterprise competitiveness and long-term economic growth?

Dominic Pereira, VP, Product Management, Automation Anywhere, points out that Budget 2026 presents a timely opportunity to ensure that AI becomes a scalable driver of India's economic competitiveness.

Pereira said that "sustained and responsible AI growth will depend on targeted investment in data governance, secure digital infrastructure, and industry-academia skilling programmes. Building on existing AI Centres of Excellence: the budget can strengthen training and reskilling efforts, preparing the workforce for transition while ensuring AI delivers broad societal benefits. This will also support indigenous innovation and help address critical challenges in sectors such as healthcare and education."

Jan 28, 2026 06:46 PM IST

Union Budget 2026 Expectations Live: Where should the focus be for India's global 6G leadership?

"India’s telecom sector continued its strong momentum into FY26, building on a projected record of US$35 billion in revenues in FY25, driven by tariff increases and expanding data usage across the country," said Konark Trivedi, Founder and MD, Frog Innovations Ltd.

Trivedi said that the telecom industry is set to play a great role in India's story, and the main focus should remain on building sustainable, high-performance network infrastructure that enables jobs, empowers startups and builds India’s development toward global 6G leadership.

Jan 28, 2026 06:23 PM IST

Union Budget 2026 Expectations Live: What should be done to deepen India's chemical industry's role in international supply chains?

As India’s chemical industry is well placed to deepen its role in international supply chains, the upcoming Union Budget should focus on solidifying its position, said Mr Mihir V Shah, Executive Director of Vipul Organics Limited.

"Stable regulations, simplified compliance processes, and timely GST refunds will meaningfully ease working capital cycles and strengthen investor confidence. With such supportive measures, the chemical sector can expand exports, create skilled employment, and reinforce India’s position as a reliable and responsible global manufacturing partner." Shah added.

Continued investments in chemical park infrastructure, faster environmental approvals, and improved logistics for efficient movement of goods within the country and for exports are a few of the areas that Shah had highlighted.

Jan 28, 2026 05:32 PM IST

Union Budget 2026 Expectations Live: bridging the existing credit gap

With the arrival of Union Budget 2026, Lakshmi Venkataraman Venkatesan, from Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust (BYST), said that while 2025 left a positive foundation, the focus must now shift from policy intent to ground-level implementation to bridge the existing INR 30 lakh crore credit gap.

Only about 16-19% of MSMEs currently have access to formal credit, which must improve to at least 25% by 2028 as a significant step towards making Viksit Bharat 2047 a reality," she said.

"The current loan size under the MUDRA scheme, particularly in the Shishu category, averages Rs. 37,000, which is insufficient for microentrepreneurs to expand and sustain their business effectively," added Venkatesan.

Jan 28, 2026 04:41 PM IST

Union Budget 2026 Expectations Live: Incentives that encourage MSMEs

Mr Dhruv Verma, CEO of Thriwe, is hoping that budget 2026 will bring policy measures that prioritise tax rationalisation for the middle class, as increased disposable income directly correlates with higher engagement in premium lifestyle and travel rewards.

"We hope for incentives that encourage MSMEs to adopt digital retention tools, transforming loyalty from a 'luxury brand' feature into a core business strategy for Bharat," said Verma on the importance of continued investment in digital public infrastructure.

Jan 28, 2026 04:21 PM IST

Union Budget 2026 Expectations Live: Capital India Finance CEO urges extending SARFAESI Rights for NBFCs

In anticipation of Budget 2026, Mr Pinank Shah, CEO of Capital India Finance Limited (CIFL), outlines a few strategic wishlists aimed at extending SARFAESI rights to Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) across all loan values and strengthening the credit ecosystem for MSMEs.

Shah added, "Improving access to long-term funding for NBFCs financing long-term assets will help ease asset-liability mismatches and support sustainable balance-sheet growth."

Jan 28, 2026 03:57 PM IST

Union Budget 2026 Expectations Live: How Budget 2026 can help India’s green steel transition?

Mr Susanta Ghosh, COO and BU, Green Steel, ACME Group, highlighted that while India's industrial decarbonisation momentum is growing – driven by new taxonomies and carbon-credit systems – the transition to full-scale green steel production faces economic hurdles.

"As we approach the Union Budget 2026-27, the focus should be on measures that help close this gap: easier access to green financing, support for hydrogen- and natural gas-based DRI, storage solutions that work at scale, and a practical duty structure for essential equipment," he added.

Jan 28, 2026 03:05 PM IST

Union Budget 2026 Expectations Live: What does the renewable energy industry expect from 2026 budget?

Mr Anil Kumar Taparia, COO of Green Hydrogen and Ammonia, ACME Group, suggests the 2026 budget for dedicated funding, demand-aggregation tools, and greater flexibility on NFE norms for projects that are strategically important to the country.

"What will determine the next stage is connectivity, as the best-designed projects could remain stuck unless transmission infrastructure expands quickly, particularly in resource-rich states like Rajasthan and Gujarat," he said.

"Investors will only step in at size when pricing and supply stop fluctuating and become reliably steady. The upcoming budget has the potential to be a real pivot point," Taparia added.

Jan 28, 2026 02:24 PM IST

Union Budget 2026 Expectations Live: Opposition to protest against MGNREGA, SIR issues in Budget session

Opposition parties on Wednesday decided to raise the issues of MGNREGA repeal and SIR in the Budget session of Parliament, and protest democratically on them while participating in the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address and the Union Budget.

Leaders of several opposition parties of the INDIA Bloc met here in the chamber of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and discussed the opposition's strategy for the Budget session, sources said. The leaders also decided to protest during the debate on the Motion of Thanks as well as during the Union Budget presentation and debate.

"The Opposition will use all democratic means to demand the restoration of MGNREGA," AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X.

Jan 28, 2026 12:28 PM IST

Union Budget 2026 Expectations Live | 'India must fund a National Regulatory Compliance Grid to serve as a digital central nervous system': Teamlease Regtech

Rishi Agrawal, the CEO and Co-Founder of Teamlease Regtech, says: "Modernising India’s regulatory framework requires more than legislative interventions alone. Positive intent now demands serious budgetary allocations for building an enterprise DPI. India must fund a National Regulatory Compliance Grid to serve as a digital central nervous system. This would enable API-driven, machine-readable data exchange under a consent-based framework, linking enterprises not only with government but also intermediaries, financial institutions and rating agencies. It would eliminate duplication and overlaps in filings and recordkeeping requirements, slashing compliance costs and boosting regulatory efficiency."

Agrawal adds: "The regulatory infrastructure of Enterprise DPI must be complemented by an ecosystem of Regulatory Service Providers (RSPs), modelled on the successful GSP architecture for GST. These technology-led RSPs would seamlessly deploy APIs hosted on API Setu, abstracting complexity by embedding compliance directly into transaction cycles. This setup will ensure that as laws evolve, RSPs absorb the changes, enabling seamless transitions for businesses. Just as India Stack revolutionised payments, Enterprise DPI will transform compliance for millions of MSMEs and enterprises."

Jan 28, 2026 12:22 PM IST

'Budget should focus on enabling enterprise-grade adoption of AI, blockchain': Co-founder, director of Digital Transformation

Dr. Sujata Seshadrinathan, Co-Founder and Director, Digital Transformation, Basiz

“As digital technologies mature, the Union Budget FY27 should focus on enabling enterprise-grade adoption of AI and blockchain. In areas such as fund administration, accounting, and cross-border financial operations, these technologies are already improving data integrity, automation, and decision-making. What is now required is sustained investment in digital infrastructure, advanced skilling, and frameworks that support scalable, real-world implementation. Aligning budgetary priorities with how enterprises actually deploy AI and blockchain will be key to translating innovation into long-term efficiency, transparency, and economic value. Digital currency based transaction processing framework and crypto currency policy have been in the works for some years now. Clear directions for these are the need of the hour if India needs to be on par with the rest of the world in the digital currency domain.”

Dr. Sujata Seshadrinathan is Co-Founder and Director, Digital Transformation, Basiz Fund Service Private Limited

Jan 28, 2026 12:18 PM IST

Union Budget 2026 Expectations Live | 'Focus should be on upgrading academic infrastructure', says Pro-Chancellor of Mohan Babu Univ

Vishnu Manchu, Pro-Chancellor of the Mohan Babu University, states:

“For higher education, the Budget should focus on what actually improves outcomes on campus. This includes better teaching quality, upgrading everyday academic infrastructure, and keeping programmes aligned with how industries are evolving. Greater support for faculty development, research, and innovation is equally important, especially for universities that are building strong regional and national impact. The Budget can also play a role in making education more accessible through scholarships and technology-enabled learning. If universities are empowered at the ground level, the long-term benefits for students and the economy will follow.”

Jan 27, 2026 06:56 PM IST

Union Budget 2026 Expectations Live | Budget 2026 should fast-track indigenous, mission-grade AI for defence: Chairman & Managing Director, Zen Technologies

The Chairman & Managing Director of Zen Technologies Ashok Atluri says AI is already part of India’s defence ecosystem but lacks scale, integration and true indigenisation. He urges Budget 2026 to prioritise IDDM-compliant, mission-grade AI trained on Indian operational data and resilient in contested environments. Key focus areas should include AI-enabled simulators, wargaming platforms, digital twins and autonomous training systems to shorten training cycles, cut costs and ensure ownership of algorithms and IP. He also calls for stronger public-private partnerships through assured procurement, long-term capability programmes and operational testbeds to turn domestic innovation into credible national security capability.

Jan 27, 2026 06:21 PM IST

Union Budget 2026 Expectations Live: Insurance sector seeks tax parity, micro-insurance push and higher relief for seniors

India’s insurance sector enters Union Budget 2026 on the back of strong reforms in 2025 but continues to grapple with low penetration at 3.7%, far below the global average of 7%. With premiums at Rs 11.2 lakh crore in FY24, the focus is on expanding coverage among the ‘missing middle’ and rural populations.

Key expectations include tax parity for annuities by aligning them with NPS, exempting TDS on retirement payouts and creating a uniform tax framework for traditional insurance products and ULIPs. Higher premium deductions are also sought to support home and MSME insurance.

A major thrust is expected on micro-insurance, including stamp duty exemptions for low-value rural products, wider use of PMJJBY-like models and stronger distribution through MFIs, NGOs and CSCs. The sector also seeks budgetary support for AI-driven fraud detection, cybersecurity upgrades, and capacity building within regulators.

Other demands include increasing the Section 80D deduction for senior citizens’ health insurance from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh, promoting parametric insurance for farmers and MSMEs, mandating group health cover in MSMEs, strengthening motor claims infrastructure and easing bancassurance norms.

Overall, the industry expects Budget 2026 to focus on affordability, access and trust, separate protection from savings-linked tax benefits, and advance composite licensing, helping move India closer to the goal of “Insurance for All by 2047.”

Jan 27, 2026 05:03 PM IST

Union Budget 2026 Expectations Live | Budget should scale e-NWR adoption to boost farm liquidity: Basiz Founder

Aditya Sesh, the founder & MD of Basiz, says the government has laid a strong foundation for agricultural liquidity through e-Negotiable Warehouse Receipts, GST rationalisation and interest subvention. He adds that the next budget must focus on scaling adoption among small and marginal farmers by increasing allocations for micro-warehouses, cold storage and post-harvest infrastructure, along with farmer awareness and training via FPOs, to prevent distress sales.

Jan 27, 2026 04:55 PM IST

Union Budget 2026 Expectations Live: Medical technology association of India (MTaI) on expectations for Union Budget 2026–27

Aditya Banerjee, Managing Director, B. Braun India & MTaI member said, “While over the last few years, the Govt of India has increased the allocation for healthcare in its budget, the continued prioritization on capacity building has often left public healthcare facilities with insufficient funds to deliver adequate services to the large number of patients that they serve. A deliberate shift in the public procurement criteria, from the lowest upfront price (L1) to the best long‑term value for the overall healthcare system (V1), is essential for delivering better patient outcomes for every Rupee spent, while also helping avoid the spiralling healthcare budgets, that today are becoming unsustainable in many developed economies of the world, despite their significantly smaller populations."

Jan 27, 2026 04:27 PM IST

Union Budget 2026 Expectations Live: Industry calls for cheaper digital education and stronger support for global studies

NIIT CEO Pankaj Jathar has urged the government to make AI and digital education more affordable by cutting GST on verified digital learning programmes from 18% to 5%, arguing this would boost access, adoption and scalability of skilling initiatives.

He also called for raising education spending to 6% of GDP, with a focus on digital infrastructure, public–private skilling partnerships and underserved regions.

Meanwhile, IDP Education highlighted the need for stronger financial support and scholarships to help students pursue international education.

Regional Director Piyush Kumar said targeted policy support in the Union Budget 2026 would enable students from all economic backgrounds to access global universities and improve long-term employability.

Jan 27, 2026 02:07 PM IST

Union Budget 2026 Expectations Live | Ahead of 2026-27 Budget: MSMEs seek better credit access, safeguards against exchange rate risks, tariff shocks

A “fair access” to credit, an export risk equalisation fund to compensate micro exporters impacted by sudden tariff hikes, temporary duty drawback enhancement and interest relief during tariff shocks — these are some of the measures being sought by representatives of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) from the Finance Ministry in the upcoming Union Budget for 2026-27.

The MSMEs have also sought reasonable compliance norms from the government, seeking higher exemption thresholds under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime and a single simplified GST return for micro units.

Click here to read more

Jan 27, 2026 02:06 PM IST

Union Budget 2026 Expectations Live | Why Budget 2026 must simplify TDS to ease cash flow pressures

Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) contributes up to 42% of the country’s total tax collections in recent years. But while it has ensured steady revenue for the Government, the framework has grown increasingly complex, characterised by nuanced provisions, multiple sections, varied rates, and procedural frictions.

For businesses, this translates to cash‑flow strain, compliance hurdles, and constant reconciliation cycles. Hence, rationalising TDS and addressing system‑level issues is essential to improve both liquidity and compliance outcomes across the industry.

Click here to read more

Jan 27, 2026 11:29 AM IST

Union Budget 2026 Expectations Live | GDP is growing rapidly. Why is private investment still limited?

In September 2022, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman called on India Inc at an industry summit to put money into expanding their capacities, asking “what’s stopping you” from investing. That quarter, India’s real GDP growth rate more than halved to 6.3% — now revised to 6% — after the post-Covid favourable base effect continued to fade away.

Three years later, the GDP has grown by 8.2% in the same three-month period. And yet, a big question mark remains over the state of investments by the private sector. This is not a recent problem, according to Jahangir Aziz, JP Morgan’s Head of Emerging Markets Economic Research.

“Since 2011-12, private corporate investment has flatlined at around 12% of GDP. There are small quarterly variations, but it has not broken out of the 12% of GDP range. Over these 15 years, you’ve had numerous global and local shocks. The only thing that has remained constant is private investment in 12% of GDP range,” Aziz told The Indian Express earlier this month.

Click here to read more

Jan 27, 2026 11:28 AM IST

Union Budget 2026 Expectations Live | How does a Union Budget influence the economy?

Union budgets aren’t exactly like household budgets because unlike the latter, they can influence the trajectory of the whole country. Apart from not overburdening people with increasing levels of borrowings and debt, a government can use the budget to influence the behaviour of Indian citizens and businesses in two broad ways.

One is by tweaking who it taxes and how much. For instance, if a government wants to incentivise businesses in one segment of the economy — presumably because it believes such a move will leverage India’s demographic profile, create jobs and bring prosperity — it can lower the tax rate. To be sure, lowering the tax rate may not necessarily lead to lower revenues; it is quite possible that the increased economic activity (thanks to the lower tax rate) leads to higher overall revenues despite a lower tax rate.

Second is by tweaking where a government spends and how much. While the budget is only for a year, budgets at the start of a new government’s term (as is the case this time) can often signal a broader shift in how the government wants to spend its money.

For instance, arguably the biggest macroeconomic policy shift of the last government (2019-2024) was the focus on incentivising investments by the private sector. To this end, the government gave a historic tax break in corporate tax on the one hand, while boosting its own spending in infrastructure on the other.

Jan 27, 2026 11:26 AM IST

Union Budget 2026 Expectations Live: How to power Make in India’s next phase

India’s manufacturing is gathering pace, with recent data showing factories as a central pillar of growth, meeting domestic demand and strengthening the country’s role in global value chains. Over the last ten years, manufacturing output has grown by about 6% a year and is now worth more than $450 billion. But its share in India’s economy has stayed almost the same, at around 15–17% of GDP.

The next Budget must therefore focus on outcomes by sharpening policy measures that directly enhance scale, competitiveness and cost efficiency in domestic manufacturing.

Click here to read more

Jan 27, 2026 11:12 AM IST

Union Budget 2026 Expectations Live: Why infrastructure will be key to India’s growth without inflation

India’s infrastructure story has evolved from a focus on building quickly and at scale to asset performance and efficiency. Over the past decade, strong investment by the public sector has created a wide base of roads, railways, power systems, and urban infrastructure that now underpins economic growth. Central government capital expenditure has risen from around 2% of GDP in the late 2010s to over 3% in recent budgets, highlighting a steady commitment in providing impetus to infrastructure.

As India aims for long-term growth of 6–7% while keeping inflation in check, infrastructure is being seen less as a short-term stimulus and more as a way to lower costs and improve the supply side of the economy.

Click here to read

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Tags:
Budget