Budget 2026: Nirmala Sitharaman Lays Out 6 Strategic Interventions to Drive India's growth

Presenting Union Budget 2026-27 Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman projected a six-step process for India's growth.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her ninth consecutive Union Budget on Sunday, and said it is “our first Budget at the Kartavya bhawan and we have 3 kartavya (responsibilities).

Presenting Union Budget 2026-27, Nirmala Sitharaman said, “To accelerate and sustain economic growth, I propose interventions in six areas"

Six key intervention areas

Scaling up manufacturing in several

Rejuvenating legacy industrial sectors

Creating champion MSMEs

Delivering a powerful push for infrastructure

Ensuring long-term security and stability

Developing city economic regions

Sitharaman positioned the proposals as a crucial step towards realising the vision of a “Viksit Bharat” at a time of mounting global trade tensions and key domestic reforms.

The Budget 2026 arrives on the heels of sweeping structural changes, including the rollout of Labour Codes and ongoing GST reforms, even as India grapples with external headwinds such as steep US tariffs on Indian exports. In this challenging global climate, Sitharaman laid clear emphasis on bolstering manufacturing capabilities, accelerating infrastructure growth and safeguarding economic security.

She underlined that the government’s approach is rooted in focused policy support for both emerging sunrise sectors and established industries. At the same time, the strategy seeks to widen the growth net by empowering smaller businesses and cities, ensuring they become stronger contributors to India’s economic expansion rather than remaining on the margins.