Business
FM Sitharaman goes for big push to job-led inclusive growth in Budget 2025-26

New Delhi, Feb 1: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday presented the Budget 2025-26 in the Parliament with an aim at accelerating employment-led inclusive growth, propelled by investments in the agricultural and rural sector, MSMEs and exports while sticking to the fiscal consolidation path.
“This budget is dedicated to accelerating growth, driven by our aspirations for a ‘Viksit Bharat.’ Our economy remains the fastest growing among all major economies,” the Finance Minister said on the floor of the Lok Sabha.
The key domains covered in the Union Budget include taxation, power, urban development, mining, the financial sector, and regulatory reforms. These areas are central to the government’s focus on driving growth, improving infrastructure, enhancing governance, and ensuring sustainable development across various sectors.
She has kept the budget deficit target on a declining path to 4.4 per cent of GDP in 2025-26 from 4.8 per cent of GDP in 2024-25.
The net market borrowing for the budget has been fixed at Rs 11.54 crore while the rest of the funds will come from small savings and other sources, the Finance Minister said. The government’s gross borrowing target for FY26 was revised upwards by 5.7 per cent to Rs 14.82 lakh crore from Rs 14.01 lakh crore in FY25.
In a major benefit for the middle class, Sitharaman announced that there will be no income tax on an annual income of up to Rs 12 lakh. For salaried people who enjoy a standard deduction of Rs 75,000, there would be no tax on income of up to Rs 12,75,000.
The move will place more money in the hands of the people to spend on goods and services which in turn would lead to higher growth in the economy.
In order to boost domestic manufacturing, she has also rationalised customs duties to increase tariffs on finished goods such as electronic products and reduce the duty on components used as inputs by local manufacturers.
The Finance Minister outlined specific proposals, starting with agriculture as the “first engine” to drive growth. Under the Prime Minister Krishi Yojana, a new initiative inspired by the success of the Aspirational District Programme, the government will launch an agricultural district programme in partnership with states. This will target 100 districts with low productivity, moderate crop intensity, and below-average credit parameters. The initiative is expected to benefit 1.7 crore farmers. The Finance Minister also announced an increase in the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) loan limit from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh under the interest subvention scheme.
MSMEs have been identified as the second engine of growth, and the focus will be on the 5.7 crore MSMEs, which include over one crore registered businesses employing 7.5 crore people and contributing 36 per cent to India’s manufacturing. These MSMEs are crucial in positioning India as a global manufacturing hub, responsible for 45 per cent of the nation’s exports. To boost their growth and efficiency, the government will enhance the investment and turnover limits for MSMEs, increasing them by 2.5 times and 2 times, respectively. This move is expected to empower MSMEs to scale up, innovate, and generate more employment opportunities for the youth.
The Finance Minister announced that the government will implement specific policy and facilitation measures to boost the productivity, quality, and competitiveness of India’s footwear and leather sector products. This scheme is expected to create employment for 22 lakh people, generate over Rs 400 crore, and achieve exports of over Rs 1.1 lakh crore. In addition, measures will be introduced for the toy sector, building on the National Action Plan for Toys. A new scheme will aim to establish India as a global hub for toys, focusing on developing clusters, skills, and a manufacturing ecosystem that will produce high-quality, innovative, and sustainable toys, representing the “Made in India” brand, the Finance Minister said.
The Finance Minister emphasised investment as the third engine of growth, which includes investing in people, the economy, and innovation. As part of investing in people, the government is focusing on the Sashakt Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 programmes, which provide nutritional support to over 8 crore children, pregnant women, lactating mothers, and around 20 lakh adolescent girls in aspirational districts and the Northeast region. The cost norms for these programs will be enhanced, Sitharaman added.
Business
PM Modi’s dream of developed India by 2047 becomes collective resolve of every citizen

New Delhi, Sep 17: Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the dream of a developed India by 2047 has today become the collective resolve of every citizen, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said on Wednesday.
Wishing PM Modi on his 75th birthday, the minister said that in the past 11 years, “your tireless hard work and dedication have brought unprecedented transformation in the lives of crores of Indians”.
“You have ignited the lamp of patriotism in the heart of every citizen and awakened a resolve for active participation in nation-building. May God grant you excellent health and a long life, so that you continue to serve Mother India with the same dedication and energy in the coming years,” Joshi noted in a post on X.
Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that meeting PM Modi for the first time as a member of his cabinet was a truly unforgettable experience for him.
“His deep interest in every subject, open mindedness, and out of the box perspective gave me new energy and inspired me to fulfill my responsibilities with even greater dedication and enthusiasm,” he posted on X.
“That one experience endowed me with the ability to serve the people with complete devotion for a lifetime, and for that, I will always remain deeply grateful to him from the bottom of my heart,” Scindia emphasised.
He further stated that PM Modi is dedicated to the development of every individual and is devoted to the principles of Antyodaya.
Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Jitin Prasada, said that under PM Modi’s leadership, the significant decision of GST reforms will not only simplify and ease the lives of citizens but also provide new energy to the industry and business world, while promoting local production and entrepreneurship.
Business
Urban Company IPO Surges On Debut, Listed At 60% Premium – What Drove The Buzz?

Mumbai: Urban Company created a big buzz on its first day in the stock market. The company’s IPO (Initial Public Offering) was listed on September 17 on both the BSE and NSE. The issue price was Rs 103 per share, but it opened much higher at Rs 162.25 per share. This gave investors an immediate listing gain of almost 60 percent, which is a huge return on the first day itself.
The Rs 1,900 crore IPO opened for subscription from September 10 to 12, and it received an overwhelming response. The IPO was subscribed more than 103 times in total. This means demand was over 100 times more than the number of shares available. Big institutional investors showed the most interest, but retail and high-net-worth investors also participated in large numbers.
Out of the total IPO amount, Urban Company raised Rs 472 crore as fresh issue, and the rest came through an Offer for Sale (OFS) of Rs 1,428 crore. The company plans to use the fresh funds for marketing initiatives and technology upgrades, which will help it grow faster. Before the IPO, Urban Company also raised Rs 854 crore from major anchor investors, including names like SBI Funds, HDFC Mutual Fund, Fidelity, Nomura, Goldman Sachs, and others.
Urban Company is a popular platform that offers home and beauty services. Customers can book services such as cleaning, pest control, plumbing, carpentry, electrical work, painting, beauty treatments, grooming, and massage therapy. The company currently operates in 51 cities across India, UAE, and Singapore, and it is also present in Saudi Arabia through a joint venture. Urban Company is growing quickly and aims to become a global leader in home services.
Business
Sensex, Nifty open higher as India-US trade talks set to resume

Mumbai, Sep 16: The Indian benchmark indices opened higher on Tuesday amid mixed global cues, as US Chief Negotiator Brendan Lynch arrived in India to resume trade negotiations between the two nations.
As of 9.25 am, the Sensex was up 184 points or 0.23 per cent at 81,970, and the Nifty was up 47 points or 0.19 per cent at 25,117.
The broadcap indices outperformed benchmark indices, as Nifty Midcap 100 inched up by 0.26 per cent, and the Nifty Small cap 100 moved up 0.70 per cent.
Kotak Mahindra, Axis Bank and Hero Motocorp were the top gainers on NSE Nifty 50 index. Titan Company, SBI Life Insurance, Asian Paints and Tata Consumer Products weighed on the Nifty 50 index.
Among sectoral indices, Nifty Media, the top gainer, jumped 1.08 per cent. Nifty Auto (up 0.65 per cent) and Nifty Oil and gas (up 0.57 per cent) were the other major gainers. Except Nifty FMCG and Nifty PSU Bank, which were marginally down, all other indices were in the green.
Analysts said that, from a technical standpoint, a sustained move above the 25,160 level could pave the way for a rally toward 25,250 and 25,500 zones. The immediate support lies at 25,000 and 24,900 zones.
“The bold reforms – both fiscal and monetary – implemented this year have started yielding results and is likely to gather momentum in near future. An India-US trade agreement without the penal tariffs can be a shot in the arm for markets,” said VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Limited.
Major US indices ended firmly in the green zone overnight as the Nasdaq rose 0.94 per cent, the S&P 500 gained 0.47 per cent, and the Dow advanced 0.11 per cent.
Most of the Asian markets made strong gains during the morning session. While China’s Shanghai index dipped 0.1 per cent, and Shenzhen inched down 0.26 per cent, Japan’s Nikkei rose 0.54 per cent, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index inched up 0.07 per cent. South Korea’s Kospi inched up 1.2 per cent.
The US markets are pricing in a 96.4 per cent probability of a 25-basis-point rate cut on September 17, with additional cuts expected through year-end.
On Monday, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold equities worth Rs 1,268 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers of equities worth Rs 1,933 crore.
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