Soon after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her 9th Union Budget, buzz around its impact began making headlines. In Bengaluru, CE spoke to prominent personalities to get their take – what excites them, what concerns them, what area did the budget overlook and what they hope will truly make a difference in the lives of everyday people.
Sharath M Gayakwad, paralympic swimmer and Arjuna awardee
The Khelo India Mission announcement is promising because the lack of good sporting equipment is a major issue we face. We get locally-manufactured, cheap products for training. Coaches also need to adapt to new tech and techniques. In para sports, classification is a major challenge that needs to be addressed; athletes have to spend from their own pockets to travel abroad just to be classified. We also lack racing exposure. Para swimming only has one state and national championship a year. When there are more competitions, we can push harder and match world-class performances. Sports need a roadmap and if you start working on it, only then can you achieve targets after four or five years. We have government facilities, but they are not maintained well, and coaches are often on one or two-year contracts, so we don’t see long-term commitment.
Ravichandra AJ, film producer
From the film industry’s perspective, Budget 2026 does not offer anything directly beneficial particularly for film production, exhibition or regional distribution. No specific announcements addressed the challenges the industry continues to face. With rising production and marketing costs, filmmakers today are far more cautious and creative risks become feasible only when there is a stronger theatre recovery and sustained audience demand. That said, broader economic measures do have an indirect impact. When household spending power improves, theatre footfalls tend to rise, which positively affects film financing and greenlighting decisions. Clear tax policies and easier access to finance also help producers plan projects more confidently. Looking at the orange economy – investments in areas like VFX and animation talent development are encouraging, as they allow better quality work at controlled costs while opening up new possibilities.
Sneha Shenoy, content creator, CA aspirant
A key shortcoming of this year’s budget is the absence of transformative reforms. While it continues to prioritise infrastructure and welfare spending, the overall approach feels incremental. There is no strong push for major structural reforms that could meaningfully boost manufacturing, private investment or long-term growth. Middle-class tax relief also remains limited. The budget does include some positive steps, such as increased allocations for existing affordable housing schemes and a continued focus on infrastructure that supports the real estate ecosystem. Also, with inflation being under better control, it should offer some indirect support to homebuyers through a more stable interest rate environment. But considering the size of our population, these increments alone may not reach a large section of people. For youngsters like me, home ownership may still remain a challenge and a few stronger, targeted incentives could have made a meaningful difference.
Vasishta Simha, actor-singer
Looking at the ‘orange economy’, the budget announcement, aiming to create two million jobs in the creative industry by 2030, is a big boost. Many in the industry are skilled and self-employed. If you look at the Kannada film industry, there are at least 2,000 to 3,000 families dependent on it. Even animation and allied sectors stand to benefit significantly, as they are a large stream with a huge number of people involved. When such talent is increased and given a solid financial base or model, it gives a lot to look forward to.
Afriyna Ashraf, YouTuber and Doctor
While AI in healthcare and new medical hubs for medical tourism are significant shifts toward industry growth, they are mostly economic and long-term measures rather than immediate fixes for frontline health system shortages. In India, public and primary hospital infrastructure and the shortage of doctors, nurses and clinical staff are two major issues that need immediate attention. Many patients still struggle for primary care and a hospital bed as we speak. Adding 75,000 new medical seats increases the supply of doctors, reduces the need for students to migrate for medical education and expands specialist training opportunities for MBBS graduates, but expansion alone doesn’t fix the doctor shortage. The low pay and long duty hours of medical providers must be addressed. The announcement of NIMHANS in North India seems positive as it would take some load off NIMHANS Bengaluru. India needs better primary mental health care for early intervention and district-state level care.