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
Top 10 firms add nearly Rs 93,000 crore in market value last week

Mumbai, July 12: The combined market valuation of four of India’s 10 most-valued companies increased by Rs 92,995.48 crore during the last week, with HDFC Bank and Bharti Airtel emerging as the biggest gainers, even as the broader equity market ended lower.
During the week, the Sensex declined 194.52 points, or 0.25 per cent, while the Nifty slipped 63.95 points, or 0.26 per cent.
Among the country’s 10 most-valued companies, Reliance Industries, HDFC Bank, Bharti Airtel, and Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) registered gains in their market capitalisation.
In contrast, ICICI Bank, State Bank of India (SBI), Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Bajaj Finance, Larsen & Toubro (L&T), and Hindustan Unilever together witnessed an erosion of Rs 49,294.13 crore in their market valuation.
HDFC Bank recorded the largest increase in market capitalisation during the week, with its valuation rising by Rs 35,808.09 crore to Rs 12,69,454.42 crore.
Bharti Airtel followed closely, adding Rs 34,896.92 crore to take its market valuation to Rs 11,98,774.22 crore.
LIC’s market capitalisation rose by Rs 16,065.5 crore to Rs 5,60,205.05 crore, while Reliance Industries added Rs 6,224.97 crore, taking its valuation to Rs 17,71,206.33 crore.
On the losing side, Hindustan Unilever registered the steepest decline, with its market capitalisation falling by Rs 12,088.65 crore to Rs 5,04,997.65 crore.
Larsen & Toubro’s valuation declined by Rs 11,040.23 crore to Rs 5,42,938.40 crore, while TCS lost Rs 8,574.87 crore in market value, ending the week at Rs 7,48,600.40 crore.
Bajaj Finance saw its market capitalisation shrink by Rs 7,813.58 crore to Rs 6,35,327.78 crore. ICICI Bank’s valuation slipped by Rs 6,315.32 crore to Rs 10,05,379.71 crore, while SBI’s market value declined by Rs 3,461.48 crore to Rs 9,56,430.44 crore.
Despite the mixed performance, Reliance Industries retained its position as India’s most-valued company by market capitalisation. It was followed by HDFC Bank, Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank, State Bank of India, TCS, Bajaj Finance, LIC, Larsen & Toubro and Hindustan Unilever.
Business
Piyush Goyal to lead business delegation to Spain, Belgium and Finland to deepen trade, investment ties

New Delhi, July 12: Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will lead a high-level Indian business delegation on a five-day visit to Spain, Belgium and Finland from July 13 to 17, as India seeks to deepen its economic engagement with Europe through enhanced cooperation in trade, investment, technology, innovation and sustainability, it was announced on Sunday.
The delegation will include leading Indian companies from sectors such as advanced manufacturing, clean energy, digital technologies, gems and jewellery, food processing, healthcare and design. The visit is aimed at expanding business-to-business partnerships and exploring new opportunities for collaboration with European industries, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry said.
The visit will begin in Spain on July 13, where Goyal will participate in a business roundtable jointly organised by the Chamber of Commerce of Spain, CEOE and ICEX Spain Trade & Investment. The discussions are expected to focus on sectors including automotive, renewable energy, railways, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, food processing and tourism.
The meeting will bring together industry leaders from both countries at a time when India and Spain are celebrating the Spain-India Dual Year 2026, marking 70 years of diplomatic relations. Several Spanish companies, including Iberdrola, Acciona, CAF, Talgo, Gestamp and Indra, have already established a strong presence in India, while Indian technology and engineering firms such as TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Tech Mahindra and Larsen & Toubro are expanding their operations in Spain to support digital transformation and Industry 4.0 initiatives.
In Belgium, where the delegation will travel on July 14 and 15, the minister will visit the Port of Antwerp to study Europe’s leading logistics hub and gain insights into multimodal connectivity, green logistics and resilient supply chains.
During the Belgium visit, Goyal will hold CEO-level meetings with senior executives of Thales Group and Silox Group.
The minister will also participate in the India-EU Business Roundtable and the Trade and Technology Council (TTC) Plenary, where discussions will cover foreign direct investment, trade facilitation, sustainable technologies and resilient supply chains.
The final leg of the tour will take the delegation to Finland on July 16 and 17. Goyal will participate in the India-Finland Business Roundtable, engaging with Finnish companies across digitalisation, clean energy, advanced manufacturing and the circular economy.
Business
Q1 earnings, crude oil trends likely to drive Dalal Street next week

Mumbai, July 12: Investors will closely track the ongoing Q1 FY27 earnings season, movement in crude oil prices, foreign fund flows and developments in West Asia next week after the Indian stock market ended its four-week winning streak amid heightened geopolitical tensions and volatile global cues.
Benchmark indices closed the week with marginal losses as renewed tensions in West Asia and a spike in crude oil prices dented investor sentiment.
However, a strong recovery in the final two trading sessions, supported by easing global concerns and robust earnings from Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), helped limit the losses.
The Sensex declined 0.25 per cent during the week to settle at 77,569.39, while the Nifty slipped 0.26 per cent to close at 24,206.90.
In contrast, broader markets remained resilient, with both the midcap and smallcap indices gaining more than one per cent.
Market participants are expected to keep a close watch on the June quarter earnings season, which has begun on a positive note following TCS’ better-than-expected financial performance. The upcoming earnings announcements from several major companies will be crucial in determining the market’s near-term direction.
Geopolitical developments in West Asia will also remain in focus. Investor sentiment turned cautious during the week after fresh US strikes on Iran heightened concerns over regional stability and global energy supplies. Any further escalation or signs of de-escalation are likely to influence risk appetite across global markets.
Crude oil prices will continue to be another key monitorable. Oil prices eased towards the end of the week amid expectations that the US and Iran would continue diplomatic engagement despite renewed hostilities and disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The trajectory of crude prices remains critical for India, a major oil importer, as sustained increases could raise inflationary pressures and impact corporate profitability.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) remained net buyers through most of the week, investing around Rs 4,670 crore on a net basis.
The continued foreign inflows, aided by softer crude prices and improving global risk sentiment, provided support to domestic equities despite intermittent volatility.
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