Sitharaman's 9th Budget Hailed as Progressive, Focuses on All Sectors

Speaking in the House the FM said, "Since we assumed office 12 years ago. India's economic trajectory has been marked by stability. This government led by PM Modi has chosen action over ambivalance, reform over rhetoric. We have pursued far-reaching structural reforms, fiscal prudence and monetary stability, while maintaining a strong thrust on public investment."

Hailing her budget Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia called the budget a progressive one.

"It is a progressive Budget that focuses on every sector of the Indian economy. It is a Budget for every citizen. Particularly, the areas of telecom and DoNEAR have received strong impetus in this Budget. It will empower and power India. A lot of institutions and waterways have been allocated to the North East," Scindia said.

BJP MP Baijayant Panda said that the series of measures and reforms announced by the Finance Minister during her speech will further reduce inflation and create more employment opportunities.

"With this Budget, the gear has shifted, and it will take forward the efforts undertaken till now for employment generation, to reduce inflation and to become the fastest growing large economy," Panda told ANI

LJP (Ram Vilas) MP Shambhavi Choudhary said, "This budget prioritises the youth. Many such institutions are being built to provide training and employment for youth... This is a budget that honours content creators. It is a very visionary budget."

BJP MP Dinesh Sharma said," Aashaon ka Budget hai... It is a far-sighted budget focusing on education, healthcare, infrastructure, railway, and tourism development. This Budget will lay the foundation of financial prosperity."

Presenting the Union Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has pegged fiscal deficit at 4.3 per cent of the GDP for the year 2026-27, as against 4.4 per cent being targeted in 2025-26.The difference between total revenue and total expenditure of the government is termed as the fiscal deficit.

It is an indication of the total borrowings that may be needed by the government.

The government had intended to bring the fiscal deficit below 4.5 per cent of GDP by the financial year 2025-26, and is on the path to achieving it.

In her initial remarks, Sitharaman said that since her government assumed office, India's economic trajectory was marked by fiscal discipline and sustained growth.

She stressed that the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has chosen action over ambivalence, and reform over rhetoric, keeping Atmanirbharta or self-reliance as a lodestar.

"Since we assumed office 12 years ago, India's economic trajectory has been marked by stability, fiscal discipline, sustained growth and moderate inflation," she said. She continued that India will balance ambition with inclusion going ahead.

On Thursday, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the Economic Survey of India in Parliament for the financial year 2025-26.The tabling of the Economic Survey ahead of the Budget follows the long-standing tradition of outlining the state of the economy before detailing future fiscal plans. The document provided a comprehensive, data-backed review of the economy's performance over the previous year and offers a broad roadmap for future policy direction. As the government's flagship annual report, it reviews key economic developments over the past 12 months.

India's real GDP growth for 2026-27 is projected in the range of 6.8-7.2 per cent, reflecting sustained medium-term growth capacity amid a challenging global environment.

- ANI