Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget 202627 on 1 February. This time the budget is coming at a time when economic uncertainty across the world, impact of US tariffs and geopolitical tensions remain a matter of concern. In such a situation, this budget is not only considered to strengthen the economy, but will also be an important step towards the government's vision of Developed India 2047.

There will be emphasis on AI in the budget

The industry believes that this time Artificial Intelligence (AI) infrastructure should get priority in the budget. According to Sridhar Mantha, CEO of Happiest Minds, India should move towards becoming a global leader and not just a consumer of AI. For this, indigenous hardware, data centres, support to startups, tax incentives and skilling programs are necessary.

This demand from the budget of insurance sector

There are big expectations from the insurance sector also. Ashwini Dhanawat, CIO of Shriram General Insurance, says that the penetration of insurance in India is currently very low compared to GDP. Steps like tax relief on health insurance, strengthening Ayushman Bharat and improving the claim settlement process should be taken in the budget.

This is the hope of the manufacturing sector

In the manufacturing sector, especially the footwear and consumer goods industry, it is said that long term policy support is needed. According to Yashesh Mukhi, founder of Chupps, short term incentives alone will not suffice, but it is necessary to promote quality manufacturing and innovation.

This demand of logistics sector

Experts related to logistics and trade believe that India's global competitiveness will depend on how fast and reliable the cargo movement is. According to FedEx representative Kami Vishwanathan, focus on air cargo infrastructure and digital custom clearance system is the need of the hour.

The markets also have expectations from the budget. Investors are expecting relief in income tax, cash expenditure of about ₹ 11.512 lakh crore and fiscal deficit to be kept around 4.4%. Overall, it is expected from Budget 2026 that it will give new impetus to growth, employment and innovation.