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It was a contrast that no previous Budget had possibly produced — a constant thrum of perfunctory desk thumping by treasury benches and a total silence from the opposition. The just short of 90-minute speech by FM Nirmala Sitharaman was a sedate affair that did not evoke emotions, even though a charged opposition had reportedly…
Government aims at raising Rs 80,000 crore from divestment and asset monetisation in 2026-27, a sharp increase from the revised estimate of nearly Rs 34,000 crore.While govt has moved away from mentioning a specific target for asset sales in state-run firms, the realisations from divestment are mentioned under what is called the miscellaneous capital receipts.Economic…
Like every Union Budget, this year’s budget brings a mix of gains and pains for different sections of the economy. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday presented a budget aimed at balancing growth, stability and reform.While the budget offers several compliance-friendly measures and targeted tax tweaks, it also tightens the screws in select areas to…
The special Budget-day trading session on Sunday proved a painful one for the markets, which were left shell-shocked by the hike in Securities Transaction Tax (STT) on derivatives. This led to a sharp sell-off that pulled the sensex down by over 1,500 points — its biggest points loss on a Budget day — to close…
Sunday’s Budget had no allocation for Chabahar port in Iran under the ‘aid to countries and projects abroad’ outlay. This could be significant, coming amid looming threats of US sanctions over the port, which – in the absence of any direct land access – was meant to be India’s gateway to Afghanistan and central Asia.The…
Stock market today (AI image) Stock market today: Nifty50 and BSE Sensex, the Indian equity benchmarks, opened flat in trade on Monday, a day after 2% crash on Budget’s hike in STT on futures and options. While Nifty50 went below 24,800, BSE Sensex was down over 100 points. At 9:16 AM, Nifty50 was trading at…
The budget has announced a major overhaul in the taxation of share buybacks, shifting them from dividend taxation to the capital gains framework, while imposing a higher effective tax on promoters to curb misuse of the route. Once legislated, it will apply to buy backs after April 1.The silver linings: Many shareholders could end up…
To ensure persons with disabilities (PwDs) get dignified livelihood opportunities and timely access to assistive devices, the govt on Sunday announced the ‘Divyangjan Kaushal Yojana’ and the ‘Divyang Sahara Yojana’.Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the ‘kaushal yojana’ for livelihood and the ‘sahara yojana’ for assistive devices are “fundamental needs” for PwDs.Noting that IT, animation, visual…
Budget 2026’s proposal to restructure Power Finance Corporation and Rural Electrification Corporation has revived merger speculation. Sitharaman said govt wants public-sector NBFCs to scale up and cut costs, with clear credit and tech targets. As a first step, it plans to restructure PFC and REC to drive scale and efficiency.Both lenders carry heavy exposure to…
Employability In Focus, More Pulp For Orange Eco Signalling a shift in employment strategy, the Budget, instead of announcing how many jobs will be created, focuses on building conditions for sustainable work, with skilling, services and sector-led ecosystems emerging as core pillars. A high-powered education-employment-enterprise standing committee will map skill gaps, identify high-employment service sub-sectors…
