Budget 2026 highlights: Union Budget presentation set on Sunday, BJP plans outreach strategy

Budget 2026 Live: This blog is now closed and won't be updated.

Budget 2026 Live: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has prepared a comprehensive nationwide strategy to publicise the Union Budget 2026. The Budget Outreach Campaign 2026 will be conducted from 1 February to 15 February, during which a series of programmes and interactions will be held

The healthcare industry is looking towards the central government to lower or rationalise GST on essential medical tools and services.

The Coaching Federation of India has urged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to rationalise Goods and Services Tax on coaching and supplementary education services in the upcoming Union Budget.

Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty ended lower on Friday, snapping a three-day rally, due to heavy selling pressure in metal, IT and commodity stocks ahead of budget.

Budget 2026 Live: Strengthening health planning, boosting preventive care, improving affordability, tightening quality control and supporting 'Made in India' medical diagnostics are among the primary expectations from the upcoming Union Budget, ANI reported, citing experts from the insurance, pharmaceutical, diagnostics and hospital sectors.

Enhancing healthcare allocation and building a robust ecosystem focused on prevention rather than treatment have emerged as common themes among stakeholders.

Budget 2026 Live: Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty ended lower on Friday, snapping a three-day rally, due to heavy selling pressure in metal, IT and commodity stocks as investors booked profits at higher levels ahead of the Budget 2026-27, PTI reported.

However, buying on select blue-chip counters restricted the sharp fall in domestic equities amid prolonged weakness in the rupee, traders said.

Budget 2026 Live: Shamika Ravi, member of Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council (EAC-PM), on Friday said that while India has made steady progress on fiscal consolidation at the Centre, concerns are emerging over the deteriorating fiscal position of several states.

Speaking to ANI, Shamika Ravi said the central government has been conservative from a deficit perspective.

"There is a need to look at why some states are moving away from the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) or the kind of gains they had nearly 15, 20 years back," she said.

Budget 2026 Live: The Centre's fiscal deficit at the end of December stood at ₹8.55 lakh crore, or 54.5 per cent of the annual budget target for 2025-26, compared to 56.7 per cent in the year-ago period, PTI reported, citing government data released on Friday.

The Centre estimates the fiscal deficit (the gap between expenditure and revenue) during 2025-26 at 4.4 per cent of GDP, or ₹15.69 lakh crore.

According to data released by the Controller and Auditor General of India (CAG), the central government received about ₹25.25 lakh crore, or 72.2 per cent of the corresponding budget estimate for total receipts up to December 2025.

Budget 2026 Live: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that he hopes for a good package for the state in the Union budget. "After the 1990s, it is for the first time that we don’t have a central industrial incentive for industrial development. So, we are trying to get a good industrial package from the Centre,” Abdullah said.

On sick industrial units, he said, “We will try to revive sick and closed industries and those which can’t be revived, will be helped with new business and even if they can’t catch up then their land shall be allotted to others for new industrial units.”

Budget 2026 Live: The proposed India–EU trade deal is expected to gradually lower costs for fashion, lifestyle and food brands trading between the two regions, paving the way for more international labels in Indian malls and opening up opportunities for Indian exporters.

Against this backdrop, the retail sector hopes Union Budget 2026 will help create a more level playing field by fine-tuning taxes, duties and incentives.

The industry is looking for measures that ease doing business, spur consumption, and support expansion through an infrastructure push into smaller cities, without straining the fiscal math.

Budget 2026 Live: Ahead of the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget address on Sunday, Shashi Tharoor said that he is looking forward to the address and noted that free trade agreements could boost exports and create new employment opportunities.

On expectations for the Union Budget for Kerala, Tharoor remained cautious, noting the challenges of predicting allocations in an election year, ANI reported.

"Kerala got several Padma awards. Will we get a higher percentage of allocations for our state? I don't know. We certainly can use a little more money coming to the state from the centre," he said.

Budget 2026 Live: Ahead of the Union Budget 2026 announcement, Karnataka Law Minister HK Patil on Friday said that, "What I expect from Nirmala Sitharaman is a budget that enhances the credibility of the central government and strengthens the country's federal system"

"The state's confidence level should be enhanced. The federal system can be strengthened by equitable distribution, ANI quoted him as saying.

Budget 2026 Live: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has prepared a comprehensive nationwide strategy to publicise the Union Budget 2026. The Budget Outreach Campaign 2026 will be conducted from 1 February to 15 February, during which a series of programmes and interactions will be held, ANI reported.

As part of the campaign, all Union Ministers, Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states, and senior party leaders will address the media through press conferences across nearly 150 locations nationwide.

BJP will also run an extensive digital outreach campaign, highlighting the significance of the Budget.

Budget 2026 Live: As the Union Budget 2026-27 approaches, the healthcare industry is looking towards the central government to lower or rationalise GST on essential medical tools and services.

Dr P Senthilnathan, Director of GEM Hospital, emphasised that the roadmap for the upcoming year must be anchored in a long-term strategy, PTI reported.

Dr. Senthilnathan reportedly said, "Union Budget 2026-27 should be drafted keeping in mind the long-term vision for building "Healthy India" to achieve 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047."

Budget 2026 Live: The Coaching Federation of India has urged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to rationalise Goods and Services Tax on coaching and supplementary education services in the upcoming Union Budget.

“As a result, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) becomes a direct add-on to student fees, effectively shifting the burden to parents,” the Federation stated in its letter to the finance minister, arguing that coaching institutes have limited scope to offset tax through input tax credit unlike manufacturing or trading businesses.

Emphasising that coaching is no longer optional for many households, Keshav Agrawal, Vice President, CFI, said, “With competitive exams such as JEE, NEET, CUET, CA, CLAT, SSC and UPSC becoming central to academic and career pathways, coaching has become a necessity for many middle-class families,”

Budget 2026 Live: Speaking with ANI, Indhira, a housewife, “For domestic usage, the price of the LPG should be reduced. In the 3% salaries employees, if there is a tax waiver, the disposable income can be used for investment and will help the economy".

“The govt is doing a fab job at Railway infra and routes; however, from a safety point of view, there should be AI-enabled cameras in trains and stations for women's safety. It will help the elderly, also. Waiting rooms and toilets should be cleaned,” she added.

Budget 2026 Live: Deepak Kapoor, Director, Gulshan Group told ANI, "From Budget 2026, the sector's key expectation is policy stability - predictable GST on construction inputs, clarity on works contracts, and uniform compliance norms. Granting real estate industry status will improve access to structured financing, enhance investor confidence, and enable the sector's progression towards global standards and long-term value creation."

Budget 2026 Live: Dr P Senthilnathan, Director of GEM Hospital told ANI, "Union Budget 2026-27 should be drafted keeping in mind the long-term vision for building "Healthy India" to achieve 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047".

“There is also a strong call for the government to lower or rationalise GST on essential medical tools and services,” Dr Senthilnathan remarked, "lower or rationalise GST on medical devices, diagnostic kits, and health insurance premiums to manage high out-of-pocket expenses."

Budget 2026 Live: Three ministers from the Himachal Pradesh government on Thursday voiced concern over the Union Budget, expressing hope that the Centre would address the state’s mounting financial challenges.

Revenue, Horticulture and Tribal Development Minister Jagat Singh Negi, Education Minister Rohit Thakur and Rural Development Minister Anirudh Singh said the hill state was looking to the Budget for “justice”.

Speaking to ANI, the ministers pointed to a reduction in central assistance, cuts in allocations for the MGNREGA scheme, losses caused by natural disasters, and the adverse impact of lower import duties on apples under recent free trade agreements as key areas of concern for Himachal Pradesh.

Budget 2026 Live: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of trying to claim credit for metro rail projects that were initiated and completed during SP governments in Uttar Pradesh.

Reacting to President Droupadi Murmu’s address to Parliament at the start of the Budget Session, Yadav alleged that the BJP was misrepresenting the Samajwadi Party’s contribution to metro infrastructure development.

"The President, in her speech ahead of the Union Budget, said that India is getting the largest metro network. The Noida to Greater Noida metro was built by the Samajwadi Party, and similarly the Noida to Delhi metro was also built by SP,” he told reporters.

Budget 2026 Live: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has drawn up a nationwide outreach plan to publicise the Union Budget 2026 and explain its key provisions to the public.

As part of the effort, Union Ministers, Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states and senior party leaders will address the media through press conferences across the country, with nearly 150 such interactions planned nationwide.

The Budget Outreach Campaign 2026 will run from February 1 to February 15, during which the party will hold a series of programmes and interactions to showcase the Budget’s vision, priorities and expected benefits.

Alongside on-ground activities, the BJP will also launch a large-scale digital campaign, promoting key Budget highlights across social media platforms. Social media influencers will be actively engaged, with a special focus on reaching young people and wider audiences through short video reels and digital content.

Budget 2026 Live: 1. With the simplified Income Tax Act, 2025 set to come into effect from April 1, 2026, industry expects the Union Budget to clearly lay out transition provisions, rules and FAQs to ensure smoother implementation and better clarity. Key expectations include:

2. An increase in the standard deduction to encourage taxpayers to shift from the old income tax regime to the new regime

3. Rationalisation of TDS categories into fewer rates and slabs

An overhaul of customs duties into fewer tax slabs, along with an amnesty scheme to unlock ₹1.53 lakh crore stuck in disputes and simplify procedures to improve ease of doing business

4. Measures to reduce India’s debt-to-GDP ratio starting FY27

5. A higher allocation for defence in light of rising geopolitical tensions

6. Budgetary outlay for the Viksit Bharat—Guarantee for Rozgar & Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) scheme, with costs shared between the Centre and states in a 60:40 ratio

7. Provision for the 8th Pay Commission, which came into effect on January 1, 2026

8. Tax devolution to states in line with the recommendations of the 16th Finance Commission

9. Incentives for MSMEs and tariff-sensitive sectors such as gems and jewellery, apparel and leather

10. Funding support for the exploration and processing of critical minerals, including lithium, cobalt and rare earth magnets

Budget 2026 Live: The Economic Survey is an annual assessment of the state of the Indian economy and is tabled by the government ahead of the Union Budget.

The Union Budget for 2026–27 will be presented by the Finance Minister on Sunday.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday tabled the Economic Survey 2025–26, in both English and Hindi, along with a statistical appendix, in the Upper House.

Budget 2026 Live: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday tabled the Economic Survey of India for the financial year 2025–26 in Parliament, setting the stage for the Union Budget to be presented on Sunday, February 1.

This year, the Budget presentation falls on a weekend.

Budget 2026 Live: The Budget Session of Parliament will run for 65 days, comprising 30 sittings, and conclude on April 2.

Both Houses will adjourn for a recess on February 13 and reconvene on March 9, allowing the Standing Committees to examine the Demands for Grants of various ministries and departments.

Budget 2026 Live: "Finance Minister Nirmala ji is presenting the budget in Parliament for the ninth consecutive time – the first woman finance minister in the country to do so. This moment is being recorded as a matter of pride in India’s parliamentary history," said PM Narendra Modi.

Budget 2026 Live: The Lok Sabha has allotted 18 hours for discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address during the Budget Session of Parliament, with debates scheduled for February 2, 3 and 4.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Lok Sabha’s Business Advisory Committee (BAC) on Thursday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to reply to the Motion of Thanks in the House on February 4.

According to news agency ANI, the Lok Sabha will also hold a general discussion on the Union Budget for 2026–27 over four days - February 5, 9, 10 and 11, with 18 hours earmarked for the debate.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is expected to give her reply on February 11.