Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hailed the Union Budget for 2026–27, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament, calling it a historic and forward-looking document that strengthens India’s global economic role while laying a strong foundation for long-term growth and development.
Soon after Sitharaman presented the budget for the ninth consecutive time, becoming the first woman finance minister to do so, Modi said it laid out an ambitious roadmap to give fresh momentum to the Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiatives.
“This Budget presents an ambitious roadmap to give new speed to Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat. New and rising industries, the sunrise sectors, have received unprecedented support,” the Prime Minister said.
Calling the budget historic, Modi said it reflected the strong empowerment of women. “Today’s budget is historic. It reflects the strong empowerment of the nation’s women power. As a woman Finance Minister, Nirmala ji has created a new record by presenting the country’s budget for the ninth consecutive time,” he said.
Describing the budget as a “highway of immense opportunities,” Modi said it converted today’s aspirations into reality and strengthened the foundation of India’s bright future.
The Prime Minister said the budget reflected the aspirations of 140 crore Indians and further strengthened India’s global standing. “India is not satisfied with being only the fastest-growing economy. We want to become the world’s third-largest economy at the earliest. This is the resolve of crores of citizens of the country,” he said.
Referring to India’s expanding global trade footprint, Modi said the country had signed what he described as the “mother of all deals,” aimed at ensuring that the maximum benefits of recent trade agreements reach India’s youth and small and medium industries. He said the budget had taken major steps to ensure these benefits translated into jobs, entrepreneurship, and industrial growth.
Detailing future-oriented initiatives, Modi said: “Measures such as the Bio-Pharma Shakti Mission, Semiconductor Mission 2.0, the Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme, creation of a Rare Earth Corridor, emphasis on critical minerals, new schemes for the textile sector, promotion of high-tech toy manufacturing, and the development of champion MSMEs are future-oriented steps that address the needs of both the present and the future of the country.”
Calling it a unique fiscal document, the Prime Minister said the budget struck a careful balance between fiscal discipline and growth. “This is one such budget that focuses on bringing down the fiscal deficit, bringing inflation under control, and at the same time combines high capital expenditure with high growth,” he said.
Modi said the budget provided a strong foundation for achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 and would inject fresh energy and speed into India’s reform journey. “This Budget will provide new momentum to the reform express on which India is riding today. The path-breaking reforms provide an open sky to the courageous and talented youth of India,” he said.
Congratulating the youth of the country, Modi said the budget gave a major boost to employment generation. “I want to specially congratulate India’s youth, as this budget gives a big boost to employment generation. I am pleased that tourism, especially in the Northeast, has been strengthened to promote balanced development across states,” he added.
Stressing women-led development, Modi said women, especially through self-help groups, were being supported to build a modern economic ecosystem. Measures such as the construction of new hostels for students would make education more accessible, he said.
Agriculture, dairying, and fisheries continued to remain top priorities in the budget, Modi said, with sustained support for farmers and promotion of rural entrepreneurship aimed at generating more local employment opportunities.
“With the Bharat Vistar AI tool, farmers will receive information in their own language, greatly aiding them. Promoting entrepreneurship in fisheries and animal husbandry will create more local employment and self-employment opportunities in villages,” the Prime Minister said.
Highlighting support for businesses, Modi said the backing provided to MSMEs and small industries would enable them to grow from local to global levels. “I believe the support our budget provides to MSMEs and small industries will give them the strength to grow from local to global,” he said.
Modi also highlighted infrastructure measures: “In the Budget, several measures have been taken to strengthen infrastructure. Dedicated freight corridors, expansion of waterways across the country, high-speed rail corridors, special focus on the development of Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, and push to municipal bonds to provide a strong economic foundation to cities: all these measures will further increase the speed of Viksit Bharat.”
“These are future-oriented steps that cater to the needs of both today and tomorrow,” he said, summarizing the significance of the reforms, initiatives, and measures.
“This is an ambitious budget that addresses the aspirations of our country,” the Prime Minister added.
(With inputs from Rajesh Kumar Thakur, PTI, ANI)
