A vendor displays gold jewellery for sale at a store, ahead of the presentation of the Union Budget 2026-27 by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in Nadia, West Bengal. (PTI photo)
Union Budget 2026 Reactions Live Updates: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is all set to present her ninth consecutive budget today, 13th budget of the incumbent National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. At 11 am, India will be seeing its 80th Union Budget being presented in Parliament. Ahead of the budget, some are hoping for tax relief, some are expecting more focus on healthcare, while others are pitching for reduced cost of education.
Reactions have started to pour in: Ahead of the budget announcements, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said that while the Economic Survey projects good economic growth, the real concern, especially for young people in this country, is whether that growth will be accompanied by jobs. “Jobless growth does not help anyone. We are therefore keen to see what kind of schemes are planned to generate more employment for the youth,” he said. Punjab Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian expressed concerns over being sidelooked. “Punjab is always kept behind. I don’t think they will do much even now, because Punjab is unique compared to the rest of India’s agriculture.”
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Markets open on Sunday: This is the second time a Finance Minister is presenting the Union Budget on a Sunday — the first being delivered by Yashwant Sinha on February 28, 1999 (Sunday). India’s currency and debt markets will remain closed on Sunday, February 1, while equities will trade in a special session for the annual budget for the 2026-27 financial year. Currency and debt markets will resume trade on Monday, February 2.
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