Budget 2026 LIVE: FM Nirmala Sitharaman Begins Ninth Consecutive Budget Speech, Outlines Threefold Reform Strategy
Budget 2026 Live Updates: India’s economic roadmap for the coming year will unfold today as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman rises in Parliament to present the Union Budget 2026. This will be her ninth consecutive Budget speech, making her one of the longest-serving finance ministers to do so. The Budget comes at a crucial moment, as the government attempts to balance growth ambitions with inflation control amid global uncertainty.
Union Budget 2026 LIVE: What Is the Focus of the Union Budget 2026?
The government is expected to use Budget 2026 to keep the Indian economy in what policymakers describe as a “goldilocks” phase — not too hot, not too cold. The aim is to ensure strong economic growth without triggering high inflation, even as global trade tensions rise.
Job creation, economic expansion, and higher productivity remain top priorities. The Finance Minister is also likely to focus on boosting GDP growth, encouraging private investment, and increasing capital spending on infrastructure such as roads, railways, and energy projects.
Union Budget 2026 LIVE: Why Government Spending Matters This Year
Private investment has slowed significantly over the past year. Data shows that the share of new private investment fell to its lowest level in a decade in the financial year ending March 31, 2024. To bridge this gap, the government stepped up, increasing capital expenditure by 30% in FY24.
Budget 2026 may continue this trend, with higher public spending aimed at crowding in private investment and creating long-term employment opportunities.
Union Budget 2026 LIVE: Income Tax Relief: What the Common Man Expects
Middle-class taxpayers are watching closely. After income tax and GST relief in the current fiscal year, expectations remain high. The Budget could introduce a higher standard deduction under the new tax regime and possibly allow joint ITR filing for couples, simplifying compliance and easing household tax burdens.
Sitharaman is expected to stick to the government’s fiscal consolidation path. Instead of focusing only on the fiscal deficit, policymakers may shift attention to India’s debt-to-GDP ratio, even as the fiscal deficit target is projected at 4.2% by FY27.
More to follow here…
Live Updates
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12:05 (IST) 01 Feb 2026
LIVE | ₹10,000 Cr for Bio-pharma Push, Semiconductor Mission 2.0 Gets ₹40,000 Cr
Budget 2026 Live Updates: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the launch of Biopharma Shakti with an outlay of ₹10,000 crore over five years to develop India as a global bio-pharma hub. The strategy includes a bio-pharma focus network and the creation of 1,000 accredited clinical trial sites to strengthen research and innovation. In a parallel push, the government raised the outlay for India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 to ₹40,000 crore, with an emphasis on industry-led research and training centres, while also supporting mineral-rich states such as Odisha, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.
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12:04 (IST) 01 Feb 2026
LIVE | Sitharaman Outlines Threefold Reform Strategy, Flags Six Priority Intervention Areas
Budget 2026 Live Updates: Presenting the Union Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said sustaining structural reform momentum, strengthening a robust and resilient financial sector, and leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as AI form the government’s threefold growth strategy. She further announced interventions across six areas—scaling up manufacturing in seven strategic and frontier sectors, rejuvenating legacy industries, creating champion MSMEs, giving a strong push to infrastructure, ensuring long-term security and stability, and developing city economic regions to power the next phase of growth.
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11:10 (IST) 01 Feb 2026
LIVE | Nirmala Sitharaman Begins Budget Speech in Parliament; Here's What She Says
Budget 2026 Live Updates: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has started her ninth consecutive budget speech in Parliament, underlining the Modi government’s emphasis on reforms over rhetoric. Highlighting India’s economic stability over the past 12 years, she said sustained reforms have helped the economy record a GDP growth rate of 7.2% despite geopolitical crises and global uncertainty.
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10:59 (IST) 01 Feb 2026
LIVE | Union Budget 2026: Cabinet Clears Finance Bill 2026-27 Ahead of Budget Session
Budget 2026 Live Updates: The Union Cabinet has given its nod to the Finance Bill 2026-27, a crucial procedural step ahead of the Union Budget presentation. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is scheduled to present the Union Budget in Parliament at 11:00 am today, detailing the government’s economic priorities, spending plans, and policy direction for the coming financial year.
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10:17 (IST) 01 Feb 2026
LIVE | Union Budget 2026: Markets Open Flat as Investors Await Budget Cues
Budget 2026 Live Updates: Indian equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty opened on a flat note during the special trading session on Sunday as investors stayed cautious ahead of the Union Budget 2026. Market participants are closely watching for measures to boost economic growth through higher capital expenditure and relief for export-driven sectors impacted by recent US tariff actions. Santosh Meena, Head of Research at Swastika Investmart, warned that budget day trading is typically among the most volatile sessions of the year. He added that the Sunday session brings unusual market conditions, with institutional investors—who usually provide liquidity and stability—likely to remain...
