Kevin Callinan rejected businessman Denis O’Brien’s claim that home working is a mistake and said state employees need more security about hybrid arrangements. His negotiating team will also seek to make up lost ground after research revealed that the average household lost 2pc of disposable income in the budget. Mr Callinan will be chief negotiator … Read more
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday underlined the need for comprehensive defence modernisation, asserting that the government has a duty to strengthen the armed forces in line with “current realities,” as reflected in the increased allocation in the Union Budget 2026. In an interview with news agency PTI, PM Modi said this year’s Budget signals … Read more
If trust has been Nirmala Sitharaman’s byword for taxpayers so far, she took it further this year to improve ‘ease’ of filing and updating returns, and encouraging voluntary compliance to cut down on litigation. Sitharaman said the new Income Tax Act, 2025, which comes into force from April 1, is revenue-neutral, with no changes to … Read more
Budget 2026 LIVE Updates: The Lok Sabha is set to take up the discussion on the President’s Address on Monday in the Parliament Budget session 2026. Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal will move the motion of thanks to the President for her address to the joint sitting of Parliament on January 28, which will be seconded … Read more
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. File | Photo Credit: L. Balachandar Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Sunday (February 1, 2026) said that the Union Budget had totally defeated Tamil Nadu’s expectations that the BJP-led Union government would take note of the State’s requirements and listen to its demands, especially since it was an election … Read more
India slashes Bangladesh aid by 50% to ₹60 crore in Union Budget 2026-27, amid strained ties post-Sheikh Hasina’s 2024 ouster. This marks the steepest reduction in regional aid, triggered by a diplomatic freeze, increased minority attacks, and Dhaka’s tilt toward Pakistan. While countries like Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal saw a marginal increase in allocation. … Read more
Budget 2026: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled Modi 3.0’s third Union Budget 2025-26 on Sunday, Feb. 1, with its key focus areas on boost for India’s infrastructure growth and capex allocation. The government will look to strengthen the country’s manufacturing sector, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in her budget speech, as she laid out priorities … Read more
Nirmala Sitharaman speech LIVE: FM proposes rule-based automated process for small taxpayers in FY27 Nirmala Sitharaman speech LIVE: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday concluded her Budget 2026-27 speech in the Lok Sabha in nearly one-and-a-half hours long address, laying out the government’s economic roadmap anchored in growth, investment and fiscal stability. Key announcements included … Read more
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is expected to unveil measures to sustain growth momentum, maintain fiscal discipline, and contain reforms that could buffer the economy from global trade frictions, including U.S. tariffs. Ms. Sitharaman’s sweeping income tax and GST cuts, together with spending on infrastructure and the RBI’s interest rate reductions, have so far helped the … Read more
What do salaried taxpayers, middle class, and the common man want from Union Budget 2026? (AI image) Budget 2026 income tax expectations: Like every year, salaried taxpayers, middle class and common man will listen to FM Nirmala Sitharaman’s Union Budget speech in the hope of more tax relief. Last year, FM Sitharaman announced major changes … Read more