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Monday, February 2, 2026
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Opinion

From populism to productivity—why the Budget 2026 makes a structural turn

The Budget proposals seek to balance sustained high economic growth with fiscal discipline and structural transformation.

Budget 2026 squarely puts manufacturing at the centre of India’s growth strategy

The Budget’s emphasis on seven ‘strategic and frontier’ manufacturing areas is clearly not random. These are areas of high import dependence, strong employment, and rising geopolitical sensitivity.

Budget 2026 is deliberately boring. Given the global climate, it’s a smart decision

Budget 2026 does not seek to redefine India’s growth model; rather, it reinforces the existing framework characterised by fiscal restraint, public investment, and manufacturing depth.

Confident politics, anxious geopolitics. Modi govt’s Budget is an exercise in contrast

The Budget has indeed woken up the sleeping markets, just not the way the government’s fans would have expected.

Budget 2026: Push for India’s bond market needs the foundations fixed first

Corporate bonds are priced as a spread over the risk-free rate. In India, the reference risk-free rate is unreliable as large institutions are mandated to buy and hold government bonds.

A bride enjoying her wedding day is a radical act

They say a happy bride is the best bride. To me, this once felt like a redundant statement. It’s her wedding, duh. Of course,...

India-EU FTA doesn’t mean cars will get cheaper. Read the fine print

A manufacturer can’t just ship kits from the US or China, assemble them in Germany, France or Belgium, and then claim lower duties.

Retinol vs Bakuchiol—which anti-ageing ingredient is right for your skin?

Bakuchiol comes from the seeds of the Babchi plant, long used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine. Retinol is a derivative of vitamin A.

Rising numbers of unemployed graduates will destabilise social structure: Kalam at UGC event

On 28 December 2003, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam delivered an address to mark the 50th anniversary of the UGC in New Delhi, outlining the role of the education sector and universities in national development.

What the last decade reveals about India’s economic path

In India, there has been remarkable certainty on taxes, particularly as the government has largely focused on slashing taxes, both direct and indirect, rather than increasing them.

On Camera

Budget 2026 signals a business-as-usual approach to farm financing

The Budget does not speak of agriculture as a standalone sector. Instead, it embeds agriculture across seven priorities.

India spooks investors instead of calming them

Union Budget brings home to markets the unpleasant reality of fiscal dominance where RBI ends up prioritising deficit financing over its primary function of inflation control.

10X Budget beef-up for Intelligence Bureau capex, after Pahalgam & Red Fort terror attacks

After lapses exposed by terror attacks at Pahalgam and Delhi's Red Fort, Centre has hiked Intelligence Bureau's expenditure for investments in long-term assets from Rs 257 cr to Rs 2,549 cr. 

Swiss report should now close Op Sindoor debate. Knowing when to stop the fight is key too

The key to fighting a war successfully, or even launching it, is a clear objective. That’s an entirely political call. It isn’t emotional or purely military.