Business
Budget 2026: Services Sector Put In The Front Seat Of Growth Strategy
NEW DELHI: With the aim of capturing a 10 per cent share of global services exports by 2047, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman put a renewed emphasis on the services sector, pushing it to the forefront of the growth strategy. In her Budget speech, Sitharaman announced a high-powered standing committee...
Public Capex Takes Centre Stage As Budget 2026 Sharpens Growth Push
NEW DELHI: Taking a cue from the public investment-led growth model of recent years, the Union Budget for 2026-27 (FY27) has sought to push the government’s capital expenditure (capex) further, with a sharp focus on infrastructure asset creation. The Budget pegs effective capex for FY27 at ₹12.21 trillion, accounting...
Growth Forecast Of 6.8-7.2 Per Cent Neither Conservative Nor Overly Optimistic: CEA
NEW DELHI: Growth projection made in the Economic Survey 2025-2026 of 6.8-7.2 per cent range for FY27 is neither conservative nor overly optimistic, Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran said on Friday. At this projected rate, India would still retain the fastest growing major economy in the world. However,...
Govt Preparing To Launch AI Mission 2.0 After $70 Billion Investment In Computing Infrastructure
NEW DELHI: India is preparing to launch “AI Mission 2.0” following a massive $70 billion investment in computing infrastructure in the first phase, said minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday. The new phase will focus on democratising access to artificial intelligence across the country. Vaishnaw...
FTA With EU To Help India Diversify Trade Relations; Provide Greater Market To Exporters: Moody Ratings
NEW DELHI: The trade agreement with the European Union (EU) will help India diversify its trade relationships and provide greater market access to its exporters amid growing uncertainty due to high US tariffs, Moody’s Ratings has said.The free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the EU was announced on...
Budget 2026-27 May Put Stress On Debt-To-GDP Ratio Management Rather Than Fiscal Deficit
NEW DELHI: The upcoming Budget is going to put emphasis on easing the debt-to-GDP ratio, which is around 56 per cent, instead of targetting a specific fiscal deficit number as the country has almost reached the end of the glide path envisaged in the FRBM legislation. A fiscal deficit...
Supreme Court To Examine Tax Treatment Of Delayed PF, ESI Deposits
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has agreed to examine a long-standing dispute over whether delayed deposit of employees’ provident fund (PF) and Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) contributions can be allowed as a tax deduction if paid before the income tax return filing deadline. A Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala...
Economic Survey Maps Swadeshi Path To Strategic Resilience, Indispensability
NEW DELHI: India must move beyond defensive self-reliance and position itself as a systemically important node in global supply chains, aiming not merely for resilience but also for strategic indispensability, the FY26 Economic Survey argued, placing swadeshi at the heart of a broader shift in state strategy. “The nature...
India Unveils $250 Billion Energy Investment Opportunity To Global CEOs
GOA: India took the lead of the recent 9th Prime Minister’s Roundtable, organised in the national capital on Wednesday, with the global energy CEOs, to convey a clear message: it wants to be a reliable centre of gravity in the volatile global energy order. With 27 top executives of...
Economy On Stable Footing, GDP Growth Likely To Be 6.8% To 7.2% In FY27
NEW DELHI: The Economic Survey on Thursday projected the GDP growth in the range of 6.8-7.2 per cent for the next fiscal year on the back of the cumulative impact of reforms, and said the economy remains on a stable footing. The projection is a tad lower than the...
India Set To Achieve Growth Targets If It Focuses On Skilling, Business-Friendly Reforms: World Bank Chief
BHUBANESWAR: World Bank Group President Ajay Banga on Thursday exuded confidence about India’s ability to sustained high growth and said the economy is well placed to achieve the 6.8–7.2 per cent growth projected for 2026-27 in the Economic Survey, provided the country continues to invest in skilling, infrastructure and...
Labour Codes To Play Key Role In Employment; Private Investment Needed
NEW DELHI: Effective implementation of Labour Codes will play a key role in boosting formal employment and enhancing security for women and gig workers, the Economic Survey for 2025-26 stated, while outlining the need for investment and coordination from private sector companies. The document, tabled in Parliament by Finance...
Economic Foundation Has Grown Significantly: President Murmu
NEW DELHI: President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday said the country’s economic foundation has grown significantly stronger over the past 11 years, and Government policies have resulted in higher incomes for citizens. In her address to both Houses of Parliament, the President said that the conclusion of negotiations for a...
India’s Credit Growth To Be 10-12% CAGR Over Next 5 Years: Brickwork Ratings
MUMBAI: India’s credit growth is expected to be nearly 10–12 per cent CAGR over the next five years, with retail, MSMEs and the services sector being the key drivers of growth. This is expected to be faster than deposit growth, which is pegged at 9–11 per cent, according to...
Industrial Output Hits All-Time High In December On Manufacturing, Power Gains
NEW DELHI: India’s industrial output rose to an all-time high under the current Index of Industrial Production (IIP) series (base year 2011-12) in December, rising at a 26-month high pace of 7.8 per cent year-on-year, aided by healthy spikes in manufacturing, electricity and mining as well as an across-the...
Freeze Fertiliser Subsidy At Current Levels, Deregulate Urea Prices: ICRIER Study
NEW DELHI: A new study has recommended direct cash transfer of amounts matching the current fertiliser subsidy levels to farmers’ bank accounts with seasonal adjustments. Such a policy will help address the persisting imbalance in use of fertilisers due to a skewed subsidy regime, and put a lid on...
ARCs Seek Tax Clarity, Faster Processes, And Stronger Recovery Frameworks
MUMBAI: Asset reconstruction companies (ARCs) are looking to the forthcoming Budget for sharper tools, cleaner processes, and tax structures that genuinely reward risk capital. Their expectations span taxation, ease of doing business, reforms in charge registration, judicial strengthening, and the long‑pending rollout of personal insolvency provisions—each aimed at accelerating...
Two Decades In The Making, India And EU Reach Deal Opening Up Markets
NEW DELHI: India and the European Union (EU) on Tuesday announced a much-awaited trade deal, drawing the curtain on nearly two decades of stop-start negotiations and binding together two billion people in a combined market worth more than $24 trillion. Under the free-trade agreement (FTA), Brussels has agreed to...
