06 Feb 2026

The Union Budget has received a positive response from the India Energy Storage Alliance and industry experts for measures supporting electronics manufacturing, battery storage and clean energy. Key announcements include an INR 40,000 crore push for electronics components, customs duty exemptions for battery energy storage systems, chemical parks and rare earth corridors. However, the industry has flagged missing support for lithium and nickel refining and battery recycling. While the higher capital expenditure and solar incentives improve investment visibility, experts say gaps in the battery value chain and cost challenges still need policy attention.Read more

05 Feb 2026

The Union Budget has allocated INR 616.88 crore for the Sagarmala programme, slightly lower than last year's revised estimates of INR 699 crore and previous projections of INR 866 crore. The Budget also sets aside INR 1,000 crore for the newly approved Maritime Development Fund to support shipbuilding, port development, and maritime financing. Additional allocations include INR 515 crore under the Shipbuilding Financial Assistance Scheme and INR 250 crore for the Shipbuilding Development Scheme. These provisions aim to strengthen infrastructure, capacity, and risk management in India's maritime and shipbuilding sectors.Read more

05 Feb 2026

India's 2026-27 Budget includes a 20-year tax holiday for foreign companies providing global cloud services through MeitY-notified data centres in the country. The scheme protects these firms from having their global income taxed in India, while services for Indian customers must go through a domestic reseller. To qualify, companies must meet four conditions, including being notified under the Companies Act and partnering with an Indian data centre. Profits from domestic activities remain taxable, with a 15% safe harbour margin for related entities. The initiative aims to boost data centre investment.Read more

05 Feb 2026

The Union Budget for FY27 has laid strong emphasis on infrastructure development, MSME support, and manufacturing-led growth, drawing positive responses from industry leaders. Higher public capital expenditure, measures to strengthen domestic supply chains, and initiatives aimed at rural and small-town development are expected to support long-term investment and employment. Consumer goods companies believe the focus on infrastructure, logistics, and MSMEs will improve market access, cost efficiency, and demand stability, while reinforcing confidence in India's medium-term economic outlook.Read more

04 Feb 2026

The government has raised the UDAN scheme's allocation by 27 per cent to INR 550 crore for the next financial year, up from INR 434.50 crore, to expand air connectivity in smaller towns and underserved regions. The Civil Aviation Ministry's overall budget has risen slightly to INR 4,699.92 crore, with higher funding for regulators DGCA and BCAS. Customs support at 27 tier II and tier III airports is also covered, while the drone PLI scheme remains unfunded. The initiative focuses on reviving dormant airstrips and making air travel more accessible.Read more

04 Feb 2026

The Union Budget has proposed a long-term tax holiday to encourage global investment in India's digital infrastructure ecosystem. The incentive applies to foreign companies offering cloud services globally through data centres located in India, with benefits extending until 2047. Industry experts believe the move will support large-scale data centre development, improve tax certainty for IT and Global Capability Centres, and strengthen India's role in cloud, AI and digital services. The proposal aligns with rising demand for secure and scalable digital infrastructure across sectors.Read more

03 Feb 2026

The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum has welcomed the Union Budget, highlighting its focus on technology-driven reforms, sectoral competitiveness, and trade facilitation to attract global investment. Key measures include support for semiconductors, electronics, healthcare, agriculture, and logistics, as well as banking reforms to enhance capital flow. The Budget introduces a long-term tax holiday for cloud services, customs and tariff rationalisation, and reforms in direct taxation, transfer pricing, and the AI, IT, and data centre ecosystem. Initiatives such as the India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 and a INR 40,000 crore PLI scheme demonstrate a commitment to high-technology manufacturing and supply chain development.Read more

03 Feb 2026

The Economic Survey 2025-26 highlights India's strong economic performance under PM Narendra Modi, showing resilience through the pandemic and global instability. The survey projects a 6.8-7.2 per cent growth for FY 2026-27, slightly below the current year's 7.4 per cent, driven by consumption and investment. Policy reforms over recent years have improved the economy's medium-term potential to nearly 7 per cent from 6.5 per cent three years ago. Analysts credit structural measures and strategic policymaking for India's ability to remain the world's fastest-growing major economy despite global uncertainties.Read more

02 Feb 2026

The Union Budget 2026-27 has outlined a renewed urban development strategy that places Tier-II and Tier-III cities, along with major temple towns, at the centre of India's growth agenda. Presenting the Budget in Parliament, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman described cities as engines of growth, innovation and opportunity, and said the government would prioritise regions that require modern infrastructure and basic civic amenities. A key proposal involves mapping city economic regions (CERs) based on their individual growth drivers to unlock the economic power of agglomeration. To support this approach, the government has proposed an allocation of INR 5,000 crore per CER over five years, to be implemented through a challenge-based, reform-linked financing mechanism aimed at delivering measurable outcomes.Read more

02 Feb 2026

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has proposed the creation of an Infrastructure Risk Guarantee Fund in the Union Budget 2026-27 to provide calibrated partial credit guarantees to lenders and strengthen private sector confidence during the development and construction phases of infrastructure projects. Presenting the Budget in Parliament, she highlighted the government's decade-long push to scale up public infrastructure through new financing instruments such as InVITs and REITs, along with institutions like NIIF and NABFID. The Budget also places renewed emphasis on urban development, particularly in Tier-II and Tier-III cities and temple towns. To unlock the economic potential of urban agglomerations, the government plans to map city economic regions and allocate dedicated funding to support targeted, reform-linked infrastructure development.Read more