The Finance Minister (FM). Ms. Nirmala Sitaraman presented her
ninth budget in Parliament today. Given the backdrop of significant
geopolitical uncertainty, the Finance Bill 2026, while aimed
strongly at promoting growth and maintaining the international
competitiveness of the Indian economy, continues to have a hawkish
focus on lowering the fiscal deficit and debt to GDP ratio. The
budget predicts a nominal GDP growth of 10%, with a real GDP growth
projected at 7% to 7.5%.
On the policy front, the following key points being made by the
FM:
Manufacturing, Clusters and Exports Push
- Focused schemes for textiles, fibres, footwear, and leather,
plus revival of 200 legacy industrial clusters and targeted customs
tweaks, are aimed at building globally competitive, job‑rich
manufacturing value chains.
