Medhavi Skills University, Mr. Pravesh Dudani, Founder and Chancellor:
"The Union Budget 2026 makes it clear that skilling and skilled professionals sit at the core of the government's Sankalp and Kartavya. Whether it is healthcare, creative industries, hospitality, MSMEs, or emerging sectors such as inland waterways and biopharma, the Budget recognises that infrastructure alone cannot deliver inclusive growth- people with employable skills do.
What is particularly encouraging is the clear shift from building campuses to building outcomes. The emphasis on NSQF-aligned education, the expansion of allied health disciplines, and structured pathways for para-professionals signals a move toward job-linked capability creation rather than degree inflation. The Union Budget gives a significant boost to healthcare skilling as a national capacity- not a peripheral programme- with plans to train 1.5 lakh caregivers in yoga and Ayurveda services, introduce ten new allied health disciplines to skill one lakh professionals, and establish three new Ayurveda institutes. The addition of three pharmaceutical education institutes and a network of 1,000 accredited clinical trial centres further underlines a long-term commitment to building skilled talent across wellness, healthcare delivery, and research ecosystems.
The Kartavyas articulated by the Finance Minister- enhancing productivity, fulfilling aspirations, and ensuring equitable access- can only be realised if skills are embedded within mainstream higher education. Skill universities and public-private partnerships are critical to translating these announcements into scale, relevance, and dignity of work. Budget 2026 strengthens the foundation for an education system that leads not just to certificates, but to livelihoods and long-term workforce resilience."
Mr. Kuldip Sarma, Co-Founder and Pro-Chancellor:
"Budget 2026 signals a decisive move toward workforce-centric education aligned with the government's three Kartavyas — enhancing productivity, fulfilling aspirations, and ensuring equitable access to opportunity. The focus on Corporate Mitras in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, para-professional pathways, allied health education, hospitality training, creative technologies, and sector-specific institutions reflects a recognition that India's growth will be driven by skilled professionals across services, healthcare, MSMEs, and regional economies.
The emphasis on NSQF-aligned programmes, apprenticeships, and short modular courses addresses a long-standing gap between degrees and workplace readiness. Equally important is the Budget's acknowledgement of emerging anxieties around AI and automation. Initiatives such as Creator Labs at IITs, AVGC content labs across schools and colleges, and Centres of Excellence in AI and sectoral skilling point toward preparing learners not just for jobs, but for employability and continuous change.
Skill universities integrating skills and higher education, working closely with industry and government, can play a catalytic role in effectively converting education expenditure into employability, resilience, and meaningful participation in India's growth story."
Mr. Neeraj Akhoury Managing Director, Shree Cement Limited :
“The Union Budget’s strong focus on infrastructure and balanced regional growth is encouraging. The proposed Infrastructure Risk Guarantee Fund will boost lender confidence and help attract private investment. Increased allocations for high speed rail, Tier II and Tier III cities, and temple towns will drive sustained demand across the construction sector. The support for CCUS is timely and reinforces the importance of clean technologies in decarbonising hard to abate industries.”
Mr. Jayant Kumar, Managing Director and General Manager at Hilti India on Infrastructure & Construction Growth- "Budget 2026 reinforces India's infrastructure-led growth with FY27 capital expenditure of ₹12.2 lakh crore and a strong push across Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. Investments in highways, metros, railways, airports, power, seven high-speed rail corridors and new National Waterways will significantly accelerate construction activity and project scale.
The proposed Infrastructure Risk Guarantee Fund, asset recycling through REITs, and the scheme to boost construction and infrastructure equipment (CIE) manufacturing will further scale up domestic production of advanced machinery and reinforce Make in India, strengthening financing as well as on-ground execution.
As project scale and complexity increase, the industry will need to build faster while raising the bar on how construction is delivered. Guided by our purpose of making construction better, Hilti India remains committed to being a long-term partner to the infrastructure ecosystem, supporting employment, allied industries and India's journey towards a developed economy."
"We welcome the Government of India's strong and forward-looking focus in the Union Budget 2026-27 on strengthening the technology and electronics ecosystem. The launch of India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 with an expanded ₹40,000 crore outlay for electronics and semiconductor manufacturing underscores a decisive push to build India into a global high-technology manufacturing hub, a move that will benefit the broader IT and computing hardware industry. The announcement granting strategic importance to data centre infrastructure and efforts to enhance compute-ready environments aligns well with the growing need for high-performance computing and AI-enabled solutions across sectors. We also appreciate the emphasis on deep tech and AI-related initiatives, including enhanced support for AI ecosystem development and next-generation capabilities that can help drive local innovation and accelerate the adoption of cutting-edge technologies. Such measures will strengthen India's tech value chain, unlock opportunities for domestic research and development, and support companies in contributing to the Digital India vision, scaling investment, and delivering advanced solutions to enterprise and consumer segments alike" -- Alok Dubey, Chief Financial Officer, Acer India.
Budget 2026 delivers a major structural boost to the Indian IT services sector by consolidating service categories, expanding and simplifying safe harbour tax provisions, accelerating APA processes, and offering long-term incentives for cloud and data centre investments — all aimed at enhancing global competitiveness and easing compliance for domestic and multinational IT firms. Its focus on services-led growth, skilling, STEM capacity, and continued emphasis on semiconductor and digital infrastructure development provides clearer signals for how enterprises plan workforce readiness, engineering depth, and long-term talent sustainability. -- Amit Bajoria, Chief Financial Officer, Virtusa Corporation.
Madhur Kumar, Chief General Manager – MSME Banking, Co-Lending, and Supply Chain Finance, Bank of Baroda
"Union Budget 2026 signals a clear shift toward structural strengthening of MSME financing, with banks placed at the centre of execution. The most significant intervention is the deepening of TReDS, including mandatory routing of CPSE MSME payments and enhanced credit guarantees for invoice discounting. From a banking perspective, this improves cash-flow visibility, shortens working-capital cycles, and enables safer, receivable-backed lending rather than collateral-heavy approaches. Also the proposed ₹10,000 crore SME Growth Fund complements traditional bank credit by addressing the equity gap for scalable MSMEs. This is positive for banks as better-capitalised enterprises typically demonstrate stronger repayment capacity and lower credit risk, creating opportunities for long-term lending and cross-sell. Expanded credit guarantee coverage further strengthens lender confidence, particularly for micro and small enterprises, supporting both growth and priority sector objectives. The Budget also reinforces data-led credit delivery, with integration across platforms such as GeM, GST, and TReDS, allowing banks to sharpen underwriting, pricing, and early-warning mechanisms. Overall, Budget 2026 moves MSME banking from volume-driven lending to cash-flow-based, digitally enabled, and risk-calibrated financing, while placing strong emphasis on formalisation, resilience, and sustainable growth of the MSME ecosystem."
Salee Nair, MD and CEO, Tamilnad Mercantile Bank
The Union Budget reflects a clear recognition that the banking system is now in a position to shift from balance-sheet repair to purposeful credit expansion. Measures such as mandating TReDS for CPSE–MSME transactions and strengthening credit guarantee mechanisms will improve cash-flow certainty, reduce working-capital stress, and enable banks to lend with sharper risk visibility. At Tamilnad Mercantile Bank, these reforms reinforce our focus on MSMEs, agriculture and retail lending, where disciplined credit delivery can translate policy intent into sustainable, grassroots growth."
Debarshi Dutta, Co-Founder & CEO, Ayekart
"This Budget sets a clear, outcome-oriented direction for Bharat by aligning technology, capital, and market access to strengthen farmers and MSMEs at scale. The launch of Bharat VISTAAR, integrating AgriStack with AI-enabled advisory, has the potential to support better farm-level decision-making, reduce risk, and improve productivity across diverse agro-ecologies. The announcement of the ₹10,000 crore MSME Growth Fund sends a strong signal of intent to back India's entrepreneurial backbone and create equity pathways for high-potential micro and small enterprises. Alongside measures to improve liquidity and access to formal finance, this can significantly enhance supply-chain capacity and accelerate value addition. The renewed focus on high-value crops such as coconut, cocoa, cashew, sandalwood, and horticulture opens up meaningful opportunities to diversify cropping patterns and strengthen farm incomes. When combined with aggregation, post-harvest support, and better price discovery, these measures can translate into measurable gains in rural livelihoods.
We welcome the Budget's clarity of intent and look forward to partnering with industry, financial institutions, and government to convert policy direction into measurable outcomes for farmers, FPOs and small enterprises across the country."
Dale Vaz, Co-founder & CEO, SAHI – a newage brokerage house
"The Union Budget reflects the government's clear and positive intent to strengthen India's economic fundamentals. The emphasis on scaling manufacturing across seven strategic sectors — including biopharma, electronics manufacturing services, semiconductors, rare earths, chemicals, capital goods and textiles is expected to support domestic growth, improve export competitiveness and create employment. The decision to allow Individual Persons Resident Outside India (PROIs) to invest in listed Indian equities, along with higher individual and aggregate investment limits, is a welcome step that should help expand the investor base, deepen market participation and support the continued development of India's equity markets."
Mr. Thimmaiah, MD & CEO, Manjushree Technopack:
"The Budget reflects a clear intent to take manufacturing in India to the next level by moving beyond capacity creation to building depth, scale and resilient ecosystems. The focus on seven strategic sectors—including biopharma, the establishment of three dedicated chemical parks, rare earth corridors, capital goods and semiconductor manufacturing—recognises that globally competitive manufacturing is built through technology, infrastructure and strong linkages across the value chain. The Government's outlay of ₹10,000 crore towards Biopharma SHAKTI marks a pivotal step in strengthening India's biologics and biosimilars ecosystem, and enhancing domestic pharmaceutical capabilities. As domestic biopharma manufacturing scales up, it will significantly increase demand for high-quality, EPR-compliant and innovative packaging solutions, creating strong growth opportunities for the pharma sector and companies focused on advanced packaging solutions. In this context, the continued progress on the India–EU Free Trade Agreement is particularly encouraging, as it has the potential to improve market access, enable regulatory alignment and enhance export competitiveness for Indian pharma manufacturers, further accelerating demand for globally compliant packaging. Biopharma SHAKTI sets the foundation for India's emergence as a global hub for biologics and biosimilars. As this ecosystem matures, the pharma packaging industry will play a critical enabling role—advancing high-performance, compliant and sustainable packaging solutions that support product integrity, regulatory confidence and export competitiveness across global markets. With the Budget's continued focus on manufacturing, infrastructure and research and development, we believe it will meaningfully strengthen India's manufacturing ecosystem while supporting long-term economic growth and job creation."
Sanjay Agarwal, CEO, Ambit Finvest
"The 2026 Budget underscores a decisive push to make Indian MSMEs globally competitive. The ₹10,000 crore SME Growth Fund, providing equity support to high-potential MSMEs based on performance and scalability, is a landmark step toward creating MSME champions. Equally significant are measures to ease liquidity constraints: mandatory TReDS adoption by Central Public Sector Enterprises, credit guarantee support for invoice discounting, integration of GeM with TReDS, and development of receivables as asset-backed securities. The initiative to revive ~200 stressed industrial clusters further modernises infrastructure, restores jobs, and strengthens MSME competitiveness."
Budget reaction quote: Responses by Mr. Sasikumar Kallanai, Co-founder & CEO, TenderCuts
The Union Budget's emphasis on productivity-led growth across agriculture and allied sectors, especially fisheries and animal husbandry, is a constructive step towards strengthening India's domestic food and protein ecosystem.
Initiatives around better utilisation of inland reservoirs, support for Fish FPOs and women-led groups, loan-linked capital subsidy for veterinary and para-veterinary infrastructure can improve supply consistency, traceability, and income stability at the source. The integration of AgriStack with AI-led dissemination of agricultural practices and stronger market linkages further strengthens this ecosystem.
For TenderCuts, these measures are aligned with the need to build a modern, sustainable, and inclusive meat and seafood supply chain that delivers quality to customers consistently.
Mr. Paul Alukkas, Managing Director, Jos Alukkas says:
“The Union Budget 2026–27 reinforces confidence in the economy by backing growth of around 7% while staying on a fiscal consolidation path, with the deficit targeted to decline from 4.8% in FY25 to 4.4% in FY26. This focus on macroeconomic stability is reassuring for households and businesses. Measures such as TDS rationalisation and lower TCS on education expenses abroad should boost disposable incomes and discretionary spending and this is a welcome measure. The continued emphasis on MSMEs, credit availability and formalisation is expected to support jewellers, particularly in tier-2, tier-3 and rural markets.”
Mr. Nemin Vora, Chief Executive Officer, Odysse Electric
"We laud 6 steps government's focus on the local manufacturing ecosystem for assisting the mobility ecosystem and empowering the middle-class purchasing power. It's encouraging to see the government's effort in promoting green mobility by incentivizing local EV component manufacturing.
With more disposable income in the hands of consumers—particularly the middle class—purchasing power is set to rise, which will naturally accelerate the shift toward sustainable mobility.
With enhanced credit guarantee cover for MSMEs and startups, particularly in focus sectors crucial for Atmanirbhar Bharat, the budget lays a strong foundation for sustained growth and economic resilience."
Quote - Vivek Singh, CEO, Home Credit India
Home Credit India welcomes Budget 2026's measures to strengthen access to risk capital for small businesses. This year's budget is expected to create new job opportunities by strengthening access to growth and risk capital for small businesses and micro-enterprises. The introduction of Rs 10,000 crore SME Growth Fund together with the Rs 2,000 crore micro-enterprise risk capital top-up, will create additional financial resources at the community level which will allow families and business owners to maintain their purchases of durable goods and transportation and residential requirements. The new regulations enable non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) which provide financing for two-wheeler purchases and consumer durable products and loan-against-property services to achieve more stable and responsible customer spending patterns.
The public capital expenditure will increase from its current level to Rs 11 lakh crore in FY26 and the government plans to spend Rs 12.2 lakh crore in FY27 which will create job opportunities and sustain income levels for workers in tier-2 and tier-3 cities where people are starting to spend more money. With FY27 net borrowing at Rs 15.44 lakh crore, Budget 2026 supports NBFCs in financing SMEs, two-wheelers, consumer durables, and Loan Against Property (LAP) customers. The new infrastructure and better regional connections will create increased demand throughout these markets.
In addition, modular skilling initiatives and MSME compliance support through Corporate Mitras will strengthen income continuity and borrower resilience. Together, these measures are expected to encourage sustained, need-based consumption rather than short-term spending cycles.
- Vivek Singh, CEO, Home Credit India
Manoj Tulsian, CEO & Joint Managing Director, Greenply Industries Ltd.
Quote:
"The Union Budget 2026 presents a clear and growth-oriented vision for India's economy, with a strong focus on manufacturing, infrastructure and job creation. The Government's continued reform momentum, driven by over 350 reforms announced since Independence Day 2025, including GST simplification, labour reforms and reduced compliance will significantly ease operations for organized manufacturers, enabling faster expansion, better efficiency and improved formalization across sectors like wood panels and interior infrastructure.
Rise in public capex and building focus on infrastructure are expected to drive housing and realty activity in tier II and tier III cities, where the demand for quality, branded interior solutions is increasing at a faster pace. This will in turn directly help the homebuyer due to better access to well-finished, durable and safe interiors as well as enhanced demand for plywood, MDF and related products.
The emphasis on strengthening MSMEs and reviving traditional industrial clusters is particularly encouraging for the wood-based industry, which depends on a large network of carpenters, fabricators and small processing units. Improved access to finance, technology and compliance support will help upgrade skills, enhance productivity and create more stable livelihoods for skilled and semi-skilled workers across non-metro regions.
At the same time, the Government's commitment to fiscal discipline, reflected in a gradual reduction in fiscal deficit and debt levels, provides long-term economic stability. At Greenply Industries, this balanced approach between growth and financial discipline gives us the confidence to continue investing in capacity expansion, sustainable manufacturing practices and skill development, while contributing meaningfully to India's housing growth and a more responsible interior infrastructure ecosystem."
Quote - Shri. Prabhat Chaturvedi, CEO, National Urban Cooperative Finance and Development of Corporation Ltd. (NUCFDC)
Union Budget 2026 signals continuity in India's long-term development vision. The structural reforms reinforce India's position as a dependable economic leader and show a strong commitment of Government towards improving global competitiveness.
Cooperative-focused tax measures will strengthen federated cooperatives. Deductions for member-produced cattle feed and cotton seed, along with exemptions on inter-cooperative dividends, will deepen income linkages. It will improve capital circulation and boost balance sheet efficiency. The time-bound dividend exemption for national cooperative federations will help them mobilise and reinvest more capital into member institutions.
The proposed high-level committee on Banking for Viksit Bharat is a timely macro-financial step. India is moving towards more credit- and investment-led growth, and the banking system must be future-ready. A structural review can improve capital deployment, strengthen risk monitoring, and address emerging balance sheet pressures. This will make credit expansion safer, more productive, and inclusive, while maintaining financial stability and customer confidence.
MSME-focused measures provide a strong push to the sector. The 10,000 crore SME Growth Fund and risk-capital support will strengthen their long-term bankability. The proposed 'Corporate Mitras' network is a smart step. Affordable compliance support can speed up MSME formalisation, improve financial discipline, and raise enterprise quality.
SHE-Marts for rural women-led enterprises support sustainable empowerment. These community-owned retail hubs can strengthen local supply chains, promote entrepreneurship, and build long-term social and financial resilience.
The digital infrastructure push is a welcome move. A tax holiday until 2047 for foreign cloud players using Indian data centres, along with a 15% safe harbour for related entities, strategically anchors India as a global digital infrastructure hub. It will boost investment and create high-skilled jobs in the country. Also, it will tangentially help the financial ecosystem to accelerate digitisation with cost-effective tech infrastructure.
~ Shri. Prabhat Chaturvedi, CEO, National Urban Cooperative Finance and Development of Corporation Ltd. (NUCFDC)
Mr. Jaishankar Natarajan, Chief Executive Officer and Director, India Autism Center
"The Union Budget 2026 marks a meaningful shift in how India is beginning to view mental health and neuroscience, particularly through the announcement of a second NIMHANS in North India. By expanding advanced neuroscience research, mental health education, and clinical services, the Budget acknowledges that mental health infrastructure must grow in depth, scale, and expertise to meet rising needs. Equally important is the recognition that care cannot remain confined to institutions or emergency settings alone. For individuals under spectrum, care does not end at emergency intervention it is lifelong, specialised, and deeply human, closely aligning with our mission at the India Autism Center. Through our Caregiver Outreach Programme to train 300 specialised caregivers for Samavesh, our purpose-built residential care facility, we are addressing an invisible crisis that has long remained under-acknowledged: the shortage of trained, autism-specific caregivers. The Budget's emphasis on building both institutional capacity and a skilled caregiving workforce is an important step towards moving mental health and neurodevelopmental care from the margins to the mainstream, where continuity, empathy, and expertise are treated as essentials, not afterthoughts."
Reaction Quote by Mr. Sharan Bansal, Director, Skipper Limited
"The Union Budget 2026 gives renewed focus on the government having capital-led growth and developing long-term national infrastructure. The Budget raises capital expenditure to ₹12.2 trillion for FY2026-27, up from ₹11.2 trillion in the previous year, reinforcing infrastructure investment as a key growth driver. The unambiguous difference between revenue spending and capital expenditure, as well as long-term commitments to the development of assets, gives infrastructure developers and manufacturers long-term visibility.
The Budget focuses on the capital formation, monitoring of outcomes and medium-term fiscal planning, which provides a stable policy environment in the energy transition in India. The fiscal deficit is targeted at 4.3 % of GDP for FY2026-27, underscoring continued fiscal stability alongside investment push. The emphasis to productive capital spending and accountability will facilitate grid modernisation, a field that is well aligned with the ability of Skipper to supply power equipment, grid enabling systems and advanced engineering solutions."
REACTION QUOTE: UNION BUDGET 2026
Vikram Aditya Sahoo, Director – Research and Innovation, SAI International Education Group
"The Union Budget 2026-27 is a strong and welcome signal that research and innovation are at the heart of India's future growth and leadership. The continued support for the Anusandhan National Research Fund, and the emphasis on industry-academia collaboration, signal a shift towards a research environment where knowledge development is more closely attuned to application. This is essential to ensure that research leads to scalable solutions, technological autonomy, and economic outcomes. The emphasis on medical and health research is especially important. A countrywide biopharma clinical trials network, together with the creation of regional medical hubs that integrate education, research, and healthcare, can help consolidate India's leadership role in the world in healthcare and life sciences. The emphasis on the expansion of AYUSH research, including the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre at Jamnagar and the establishment of new All India Institutes of Ayurveda, is a strong signal that evidence-based integration of traditional knowledge with modern science is a priority.
Another area of equal importance is the investment in basic scientific infrastructure. Upgradation of facilities like the National Large Solar Telescope, National Large Optical-Infrared Telescope, Himalayan Chandra Telescope, and COSMOS-2 Planetarium will promote innovative research, experiential learning, and scientific inquiry. For the education sector, these investments are transformative as they strengthen research-led teaching, expose students to cutting-edge scientific environments, and encourage a culture of inquiry, interdisciplinary learning, and innovation across institutions. The allocation of ₹20,000 crores for carbon capture, utilization, and storage research indicates a commitment to the future of sustainability, and the emphasis on assistive technology R&D indicates how innovation can be used to directly improve accessibility, independence, and quality of life ensuring that education and research remain inclusive, socially relevant, and aligned with national priorities."
Dr Sunil Shukla, Director General, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII)
The Union Budget 2026 rightly recognises MSMEs as 'Champion Enterprises' central to India's growth, with a strong focus on equity, liquidity and professional support to help them scale sustainably. The emphasis on women-led enterprises through initiatives like SHE-Marts is particularly encouraging, enabling a shift from livelihoods to true enterprise ownership.
The focus on tourism as a local employment generator aligns with EDII's experience of building sustainable enterprises in the sector, while the education-to-entrepreneurship push signals a timely move from job-seeking to job-creation. Overall, this is a progressive and inclusive Budget that strengthens India's entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Dr. K. Anand Kumar, MD, Indian Immunologicals Ltd:
As India moves forward with the INR 10,000 Cr BioPharma Shakti initiative, the Union Budget presented a defining moment to strengthen the country's position as a global vaccine and biologics manufacturing hub.
India already supplies nearly 60% of the world's vaccines, and this initiative has the potential to accelerate our transition from being a volume-driven supplier to an innovation-led biopharma leader. Targeted investments in advanced manufacturing infrastructure, high-containment facilities, and indigenous production of key raw materials such as culture media, adjuvants, and single-use systems will significantly improve supply chain resilience.
Overall, the Budget lays a strong foundation for India to evolve from the 'pharmacy of the world' to a trusted global hub for affordable vaccines, biologics, and health security.
Dr. Irfan Khan, Chairman of EBG Group, a multi-sector conglomerate, said:
The ₹10,000 crore SME Growth Fund and the ₹2,000 crore top-up to the Self-Reliant India Fund clearly signal the government's intent to push MSME growth beyond the metros. Measures such as TReDS reforms, invoice discounting and new credit-guarantee support for MSME receivables will be especially helpful for manufacturers in Tier-II and Tier-III towns, where access to timely working capital remains a major issue.
The introduction of 'Corporate Mitras' will ease compliance and accelerate formalisation for small units that are strong in operations but weak in paperwork. Along with the revival of industrial clusters and a sharper focus on emerging cities, this decentralised approach strengthens local manufacturing ecosystems and job creation. Overall, the Budget enables MSMEs in these regions to scale sustainably rather than stay dependent on metro-led growth.
Rahul Attuluri, CEO and Co-Founder of NxtWave Disruptive Technologies
The Union Budget 2026 lays a strong focus on emerging technologies, particularly AI, as core drivers of Viksit Bharat, signalling a shift from degree-centric education to skill-centric employability. Union Budget 2026–27 is truly a 'Yuva Shakti–driven budget', with a renewed emphasis on education, skills, creative industries, and employment pathways to fulfil the aspirations of India's youth. The Finance Minister's proposal to set up an 'Education to Employment' standing committee is a timely and much-needed move. The budget's push to expand higher education capacity and improve student access through scale, inclusion, and strengthened infrastructure will help create vibrant learning ecosystems and build a future-ready education system for students across Bharat. The focus on assessing AI's impact on jobs and aligning skills with future demand positions India to build a globally competitive workforce and move closer to a 10% share of the global services economy by 2047.
Mr. Karun Tadepalli, Co-Founder & CEO, byteXL Pvt Ltd
The Union Budget sends a clear and decisive message that India's growth story will be powered by human capital, deep tech, and employability at scale. The government's continued emphasis on skill development, AI-driven learning, research, and greater participation of women in STEM reflects a shift from education as access to education as outcomes.
For companies like ours, this marks an important inflection point. The last few years have seen the edtech winter, but with the AI-focused investments and policy support, we are confident this is the path to long-term, impact-led skilling. This Budget reinforces that the future lies not in course delivery alone, but in building integrated partnerships with universities, industry, and government to create job-ready talent. Skilling must move from being transactional to transformational.
We see strong potential in the government's push to strengthen India's digital infrastructure, with the long tax holiday for foreign cloud firms to operate through Indian data centres. Expanding domestic data centre capacity and improving access to affordable cloud and compute infrastructure can be a game changer for startups and skilling companies alike.
I believe the real opportunity is to embed industry-aligned curricula within campuses, enable hands-on learning with emerging technologies, and bridge the gap between academic knowledge and real-world application. I see this Budget as a strong call to action for skilling players to evolve into true talent partners, working closely with institutions and enterprises to deliver measurable career outcomes. With the right execution, India can move beyond being a talent supplier to becoming the world's most trusted hub for tech-ready, innovation-driven professionals.
Rajiv Chilaka, Founder & CEO, Green Gold Animation, said:
The Finance Minister's renewed focus on the AVGC sector and structured content creation at both school and college levels is a transformative step for India's creative economy. By establishing Animation, VFX, Gaming and Comics Content Creator Labs across thousands of educational institutions, the government is building a deep, sustainable talent pipeline aligned with the industry's projected requirement of nearly 2 million professionals by 2030.
What is particularly encouraging is the strong push this will give to regional content creators, enabling talent beyond metro cities to access world-class tools, training, and production ecosystems. This will accelerate original IP creation in local languages, expand employment opportunities, and fuel India's cultural exports globally.
These measures not only strengthen skill development but also lay the foundation for India to emerge as a global hub for high-value digital content, gaming, and animation production. For the industry, this is a commercially significant and future-ready policy direction that will unlock long-term growth, innovation, and global competitiveness.
Murty LVLN, CEO, Dvara KGFS -
The 2026–27 Budget underscores the importance of strengthening grassroots incomes as a foundation for India's growth. Continued focus on farmers, weavers and small enterprises reflects recognition that stable household incomes and access to formal finance are essential for sustaining rural demand. Initiatives such as the Bharat Vistaar AI platform and the rollout of AgriStack can improve productivity, reduce information gaps and enable more data-backed lending. Investments in rural infrastructure, agriculture-linked value chains, and targeted support for high-value crops, livestock and natural farming further expand livelihood opportunities.
From a financial sector perspective, the Budget signals intent rather than immediate relief. Measures such as the ₹10,000 crore SME Growth Fund, expanded use of TReDS, higher RIDF allocations and the proposed Banking for Viksit Bharat committee indicate a willingness to strengthen rural credit delivery. Sustained and well-calibrated policy support will be critical for institutions like Dvara KGFS to continue providing responsible, last-mile financial solutions.
Mr. Chandan Churiwal, Chief Executive officer and Whole Time Director at Assets Care & Reconstruction Enterprise Ltd (ACRE).
A mature and detail-oriented budget – maintains continuity with limited tinkering on tax rates, fiscally prudent as fiscal deficit maintained at 4.3% despite global headwinds and promotes multiple incremental measures for various sectors such as textile, animal husbandry, tourism etc.
High level committee to review banking system to make the same future ready is likely to accelerate industry consolidation. This coupled with proposed framework for increasing liquidity is corporate bonds is likely to strengthen debt markets.
By Mr. Sunil Nair, CEO of Ramky Infrastructure Ltd-
"The Union Budget 2026 underscores a clear continuity of confidence in India's infrastructure growth story. The proposal to establish an Infrastructure Risk Guarantee Fund is a particularly forward‑looking intervention, it directly addresses one of the biggest hurdles in the sector: risk perception during the early stages of project development and construction. By offering partial credit guarantees to lenders, the Fund will not only ease financing bottlenecks but also embolden private players to invest in new, large‑scale projects with greater assurance.
Equally significant is the government's move to accelerate asset monetisation through dedicated Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) for Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) owned real estate. This will unlock dormant capital, enhance liquidity in the system, and catalyse a new wave of investments across allied sectors like logistics, housing, and industrial infrastructure.
Complementing these reforms, the Budget's thrust on industrial infrastructure through the Chemical Park and bulk drug park, Biopharma Shakti schemes enhances India's manufacturing and innovation ecosystem. The Chemical Park and bulk drug park will create plug‑and‑play clusters to boost domestic chemical production and reduce imports, while the ₹10,000 crore Biopharma Shakti initiative aims to build a globally competitive biopharma ecosystem through new NIPERs, clinical trial networks, and upgraded regulatory standards.
Finally, with a proposed capital expenditure of ₹12.2 lakh crore for FY 2026‑27, the Budget reaffirms infrastructure as the backbone of India's economic momentum. These measures together create a balanced ecosystem, de‑risked, capital‑efficient, and geared towards sustainable, high‑velocity growth. For developers like Ramky Infrastructure, this paves the way for deeper partnerships in nation‑building.
Vinesh Menon, Education Policy Expert & CEO, ARISE
"This Budget may not have made dramatic headlines for education, but it sends some important signals for India's young learners. Firsty, the continued emphasis on education, skilling & capacity-building reinforces the government's recognition that India's demographic dividend can only translate into economic strength if learning outcomes and employability improve. The focus on the semiconductor ecosystem highlights the importance of building robust STEM learning and digital literacy from the school level itself. The continued push for digital infrastructure will enable technology-enabled classrooms, teacher capacity building, and wider access to quality education. Importantly, the announcement to establish one girls' hostel in every district addresses access and safety challenges that often limit girls. For college-going youth, the push towards skill-linked education, research, and industry alignment is a step in the right direction.
What this Budget does well is signal continuity — moving education gradually from an input-driven model to an outcomes-oriented one. Measures aimed at decriminalisation and reduction of litigation reflect a move towards a more trust-based regulatory environment, which will help ease administrative pressures snd augurs well if applied on education institutions.
As we look towards a Viksit Bharat, the real success of this Budget will lie not just in allocations, but in execution — ensuring that every child and young adult experiences education that is relevant, supportive, and empowering.
The Union Budget 2026 and the meeting held by the Hon'ble Finance minister with young students thereafter sends a strong signal on strengthening school education as the foundation for India's future workforce. What remains to be seen is how effectively these intentions translate on the ground, especially in areas like student wellbeing, career guidance, and smoother school-to-college-to-work pathways"
By Sachin Alug, CEO, NLB Services
The Union Budget aligns AI, skills, and scale to power India's digital future.
The Union Budget 2026–27 sends a clear signal that India's next phase of growth will be powered by AI-led digital capabilities, large-scale skill transformation, and globally competitive technology services. The proposed Education to Employment and Enterprise framework is a timely intervention to bridge the curriculum-industry gap, particularly in emerging areas such as AI, data engineering, and digital platforms, where demand is outpacing talent readiness.
The focus on tier 2 and tier 3 regions as Digital Economy Zones strengthens India's Global Capability Center ecosystem by unlocking new talent pools and enabling distributed, resilient operating models beyond metros. Equally important is the move to create a unified IT Services framework with clearer tax and safe harbour norms, which provides long-term predictability for enterprises. Combined with sustained investments in AI, quantum, and R&D, the budget reinforces India's position as a global hub for digital innovation, technology talent, and service-led transformation.
By Mr. Sunil Nair, CEO of Ramky Infrastructure Ltd
"The Union Budget 2026 underscores a clear continuity of confidence in India's infrastructure growth story. The proposal to establish an Infrastructure Risk Guarantee Fund is a particularly forward‑looking intervention, it directly addresses one of the biggest hurdles in the sector: risk perception during the early stages of project development and construction. By offering partial credit guarantees to lenders, the Fund will not only ease financing bottlenecks but also embolden private players to invest in new, large‑scale projects with greater assurance.
Equally significant is the government's move to accelerate asset monetisation through dedicated Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) for Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) owned real estate. This will unlock dormant capital, enhance liquidity in the system, and catalyse a new wave of investments across allied sectors like logistics, housing, and industrial infrastructure.
Complementing these reforms, the Budget's thrust on industrial infrastructure through the Chemical Park and bulk drug park, Biopharma Shakti schemes enhances India's manufacturing and innovation ecosystem. The Chemical Park and bulk drug park will create plug‑and‑play clusters to boost domestic chemical production and reduce imports, while the ₹10,000 crore Biopharma Shakti initiative aims to build a globally competitive biopharma ecosystem through new NIPERs, clinical trial networks, and upgraded regulatory standards.
Finally, with a proposed capital expenditure of ₹12.2 lakh crore for FY 2026‑27, the Budget reaffirms infrastructure as the backbone of India's economic momentum. These measures together create a balanced ecosystem, de‑risked, capital‑efficient, and geared towards sustainable, high‑velocity growth. For developers like Ramky Infrastructure, this paves the way for deeper partnerships in nation‑building.
Attributed to - Mr. Amit Badlani, Managing Director, Vihaan Clean & Green Tech
"The Union Budget 2026–27 sends a strong signal that sustainability is now central to India's growth strategy. The exclusion of the entire value of biogas from the Central Excise duty on biogas-blended CNG is a meaningful step that improves the commercial viability of waste-to-energy projects and encourages cleaner fuel adoption. The multi-year push for carbon capture, utilization, and storage, along with investments in City Economic Regions and Tier II and III infrastructure, creates a favorable environment for scalable clean-tech and environmental infrastructure solutions. For sectors like food processing and industrial manufacturing, the focus now must shift from intent to execution - effective state and city-level implementation will determine how quickly these policy measures translate into real environmental and economic outcomes."
Attributed to - Vikas Nowal, CEO at Interspace Communications
"Budget 2026–27 places strong emphasis on the services economy, tourism and the orange economy—key demand drivers for outdoor and transit-led media. The planned upgrade of tourism infrastructure, skilling of guides at iconic destinations, creation of a National Destination Digital Knowledge Grid, and expansion of City Economic Regions are expected to significantly increase consumer movement, dwell time and public engagement across cities and destinations. In parallel, the rollout of AVGC content creator labs at scale further strengthens India's content and media ecosystem, enabling richer and more immersive storytelling across physical and digital touchpoints. Together, these measures create a more predictable and sustained pipeline of public-facing activity, directly enhancing the effectiveness, measurability, and long-term growth potential of OOH advertising."
Diana Fernandes, Founder and Group CEO at Bloomingdale PR
Budget 2026 clearly signals a shift towards long-term, productivity-led growth, with a strong emphasis on infrastructure, manufacturing, services, and institutional capacity-building. From a communications and public affairs standpoint, this is a reform-driven budget that prioritizes execution, stability, and trust over short-term populism. While there were no headline-grabbing personal tax changes, the clarity on fiscal consolidation, ease of compliance, and sector-focused interventions, from MSMEs and textiles to technology, tourism, and the creative economy, provide businesses with a predictable policy environment. For organisations, the challenge now is to translate these policy signals into credible narratives around growth, investment, and employment as implementation unfolds.
Mr. Shashi Kiran Shetty, Founder & Chairman of Allcargo Group
''The Union Budget 2026–27 presents a comprehensive and forward-looking macro framework that addresses near-term growth priorities while signalling a long-term structural overhaul of the economy, firmly anchoring India's journey towards Viksit Bharat. In a world scenario characterized by supply chain disruptions, shifting trade patterns, and fast-paced technological changes, the Government's six-point intervention plan in the areas of manufacturing, MSMEs, infrastructure, security, and city economic regions provides the foundation for a more inclusive, resilient, and future-ready economy. The sustained focus on infrastructure development, with a proposed public sector capital expenditure of ₹12.2 lakh crore in FY27, reiterates the importance of logistics as a growth driver in India's development journey. Schemes such as the development of new national waterways, the coastal cargo scheme, ship repair ecosystems for inland waterways, and the proposed East-West dedicated freight corridor will greatly enhance the multimodal connectivity and cargo productivity, and help lower logistics costs. Also, initiatives as the Infrastructure Risk Guarantee Fund will further increase investor and lender confidence, leading to faster implementation of large-scale projects. All in all, these initiatives will strengthen further India's competitiveness in the global economy and increase its integration with the global value chain. The growth-focused announcements demonstrate a clarity of vision to develop capacity, quality infrastructure, and efficient supply chains, which form the foundation of Viksit Bharat."
Mr. Ketan Kulkarni, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Allcargo Logistics
"Budget 2026 offers a strategic response to a rapidly changing global trade environment by strengthening India's logistics and supply chain ecosystem. The focus on multimodal infrastructure including new freight corridors, inland waterways, cargo movement projects and last-mile connectivity for remote regions will be critical in improving efficiency and lowering logistics costs. The ₹10,000-crore SME Growth Fund, supported by enhanced liquidity through mandatory TReDS adoption, credit-backed invoice discounting and GeM integration, will empower MSMEs to scale, formalise and participate more actively in export-led growth. Incentives for indigenous seaplanes and waterway-based cargo movement further unlock regional and alternative logistics pathways. Together, these measures reinforce India's ambition to remain deeply integrated with global markets, attract long-term investment and build resilient, job-creating enterprises advancing the vision of a Viksit Bharat"
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Ms. Smitha Shetty, Regional Director, APAC, Achilles Information Limited
"Union Budget 2026 reinforces India's intent to build long-term industrial competitiveness through stronger manufacturing depth and more resilient supply chains. Semiconductors Mission 2.0, dedicated rare earth corridors, and support for domestic chemical clusters reflect a clear focus on reducing import dependency in strategic sectors that are shaping global production systems. The Budget also strengthens MSME growth with meaningful measures such as the ₹10,000 crore SME Growth Fund, additional micro-enterprise risk capital, and reforms that support working capital efficiency through receivables financing and procurement-linked mechanisms. Importantly, the 'corporate mitras' initiative can help strengthen compliance readiness without overburdening smaller suppliers, especially in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. In an uncertain global trade environment, this is a balanced and forward-looking Budget."
Mr. Masaharu Morita, Founder and Program Director, NURA - Ai Health Screening Centre
"The Union Budget 2026 places longevity and chronic disease management at the centre of India's healthcare and life sciences agenda. The ₹10,000-crore Biopharma Shakti initiative recognises the growing burden of non-communicable diseases and the need to scale investments in biologics, diagnostics, early screening and clinical research. This marks a clear shift from episodic care to long-term health management, with prevention and quality of life as core priorities. Equally significant is the Budget's focus on accelerating AI adoption across healthcare, education and research. By integrating life sciences with AI-enabled screening, clinical decision-making and talent development, the government is laying the foundation for a future-ready healthcare ecosystem one that supports healthier, longer lives and strengthens India's position as a global hub for healthcare innovation"
Dr. Bijal Sanghvi, Managing Director, Axis Solutions Limited
"Budget 2026 sets a decisive direction for India's manufacturing sector by reinforcing the ambition of Viksit Bharat through technology-led, sustainable growth. The emphasis on advanced manufacturing, digital infrastructure, and green initiatives reflects a clear intent to build globally competitive yet responsible enterprises. Digital transformation, driven by IIoT, enables plants to operate with precision and foresight. Integrated plant dashboards, supported by real-time data analytics and continuous monitoring, empower leadership with actionable insights; improving productivity, energy efficiency, and operational resilience. Such capabilities are no longer optional; they are fundamental to achieving scale with consistency and compliance. Sustainability, when combined with data-driven decision-making, ensures long-term value creation for industry, society, and the economy. Budget 2026's focus on innovation, skilling, and smart manufacturing provides industry leaders the confidence to invest in future-ready plants that are intelligent, transparent, and aligned with India's journey toward inclusive and enduring industrial progress."
Attributed to - Praveen Nijhara, CEO at Hansa Research Group
"The budget now places a strong focus on the services sector, supported by the development of City Economic Regions and technology-led governance systems that are accelerating India's transition to a data-driven economy. Investments spanning tourism ecosystem development, large-scale skilling, and institutional strengthening—along with AI positioned as a force multiplier—are expected to drive rapid shifts in consumer behaviour, risk perception and purchase pathways across insurance, FMCG, travel and financial services. Tax relief measures linked to mobility and travel, combined with improvements in ease of living, will further shape demand patterns and consumption intent. In this environment, organisations that can translate policy-led structural shifts into timely, evidence-based consumer and market insights will be best positioned to capture sustainable growth."
Ms. Sneha Rathor Khandelwal, CEO, Sanfort Group of Schools said, "Education and skill development continue to be a priority, with initiatives such as the establishment of digital and content labs in tens of thousands of schools and colleges and support for skilling programs. These measures can help bridge learning gaps and equip students with future-ready skills, particularly in an era where technology integration in education is rapidly rising."
"The Union Budget 2026, presented by Hon'ble Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, reflects a strong commitment to shaping India's future workforce in an AI-driven economy. The announcement of a high-powered Education-to-Employment and Enterprise Standing Committee to assess the impact of emerging technologies, including AI, on jobs and evolving skill requirements is a timely and progressive step aligned with industry realities. By prioritising skill development pathways, digital literacy, and industry-aligned training, the Budget creates a clear roadmap for meaningful employment generation and future-ready talent. As an HR leader, I welcome these initiatives, which will empower both youth and professionals to continuously upskill, adapt, and thrive in a rapidly transforming job market", said Mr Gaurav Sharma, Chief Human Resources Officer, True Balance (Balancehero India & True Credits).
Pulkit Singh, AVP - Investments, BlackSoil-
"The introduction of SHE-Marts is a thoughtful step in supporting rural women-led enterprises, helping them move from credit-led livelihoods to ownership and enterprise growth. By linking community-owned outlets with innovative financing, the initiative can strengthen local value chains and create sustainable income opportunities. For institutions like BlackSoil, which finance MFIs serving these enterprises, this creates an enabling environment where capital reaches women entrepreneurs efficiently, supporting scale, resilience, and long-term impact."
Anil Agarwal, Chairman - Vedanta Ltd on the Union Budget 2026:
A growth-oriented Budget, with a clear focus on increasing public capital expenditure and boosting manufacturing.
It is a Budget which creates opportunities, for youth to improve their livelihoods, women to become financially independent and for employment-intensive sectors like medical tourism to take off.
I welcome the Government's keen attention to critical minerals and rare earths. The Rare Earths Corridors for mining, processing, R&D and manufacturing in Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Andhra and Kerala will boost growth, employment and mineral security. Import duty exemption on capital goods for critical minerals processing is very timely in the current global scenario.
Attributed to - Mr. Amit Deshpande, Chief Operating Officer, Centre For Transforming India (CFTI)
"The Union Budget for FY 2026 is allocated to improve human capital by linking policies to outcomes in a range of sectors, from the integrated systems for talent and infrastructure in the Khelo India Project to the possibility of integrating AgriStack and ICAR systems with artificial intelligence to improve farm productivity and decision-making. Additionally, the proposed 'Education to Employment and Enterprise' Standing Committee and construction of girls' hostels in STEM educational institutions in each district are meant to provide solutions to both access and employability challenges in India. All these plans and projects show commitment to a future where there are more opportunities available, fewer barriers to access, and more inclusivity and sustainability in economic growth."
