Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present Budget 2026 today
Budget 2026: The waiting hours of crores of countrymen are now over. Today the country’s accounts are going to be opened in the Parliament. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the general budget for the financial year 2026-27 in the Lok Sabha today at 11 am. This moment is going to be historic in itself because Nirmala Sitharaman will set a new record by presenting her 9th consecutive budget as Finance Minister. Before going to Parliament House, she will go to Rashtrapati Bhavan and give information about the budget to President Draupadi Murmu, after which it will be given formal approval in the Union Cabinet meeting. The eyes of every section of society, be it an employee, farmer or businessman, are fixed on this speech which lasts for about one and a half hour.
What will the common man get?
The biggest question in everyone’s mind is whether there will be tax exemption this time? According to information received from sources, there is little hope of any major relief on the income tax front. However, the government may announce to make the National Pension Scheme (NPS) more attractive than before, which may be good news for those planning retirement. Apart from this, provision of tax exemption on investment in ‘Systematic Withdrawal Plan’ (SWP) is also possible for common investors.
In view of the ongoing turmoil in the stock market, the government may consider giving some relief on Long Term Capital Gains (LTCG) and Securities Transaction Tax (STT) so that the outflow of foreign investors (FII/FPI) can be stopped. At the same time, those buying gold and silver may get a shock, because there is speculation in the market regarding increase in import duty.
Gift of new trains possible
This budget can prove to be very important for railway passengers. There is discussion that the government may bring a proposal to start about 50 new trains. This includes new Vande Bharat, Vande Bharat Sleeper and Amrit Bharat trains. Not only new trains, but the government will also lay full emphasis on security. To prevent railway accidents, budget allocation can be increased for ‘Kavach 4.0’ and track safety.
To give a boost to the tourism sector, it is possible to announce ‘Incredible India 3.0’ campaign, whose focus will be on attracting international tourists to India. Apart from this, the roadmap for the next phase of ‘UDAN’ scheme, which will fulfill the dream of the wearer of slippers to sit in an aeroplane, can also be revealed.
Blueprint ready for technology
A big theme of this budget is going to be ‘indigenous’ and ‘self-reliance’. There is a possibility of a big increase in the budget of the defense sector so that the army can be modernized and we do not depend on foreign countries for weapons. In the field of technology, the government can open treasury for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Deep Tech startups. Emphasis will be laid on infrastructure for large data centres. To promote manufacturing, the scope of PLI scheme for mobile and electronic components can be increased. New schemes and incentives may also be announced regarding drone manufacturing.
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