Budget 2026 Expectations Live: Focus On Skilling, Digital Healthcare Push And More

Sunny Bhanushali, Lead Artist and Founder, Aliens Tattoo School says, “India has a rapidly growing but undervalued creative economy, and tattoo art is now a serious career path." He expects Budget 2026 "to strengthen future-forward skills in niche creative fields through incentives for vocational institutions and easier access to student financing." Integrating modern art forms within Skill India frameworks, he says, can build a globally competitive talent pipeline and unlock sustainable creative careers.

Srikanth Kandikonda, CFO, ManipalCigna Health Insurance says, “Medical inflation remains one of India’s biggest healthcare challenges, at 11.5%–14%." He expects Budget 2026–27 "to address affordability through higher public health spending, which remains below global benchmarks." Kandikonda adds that "preventive healthcare through enhanced tax benefits for OPD and screenings beyond Section 80D can reduce long-term costs. A prevention-led approach is critical amid an ageing population and rising chronic diseases."

Akshat Seth, Managing Director and CEO, BirlaNu says, "The true measure of Budget 2026 will lie in execution quality and durability of infrastructure assets." He says "consistent access to quality materials, efficient supply chains and policy stability are essential for long-term planning." Seth adds that encouraging resource-efficient materials, circular manufacturing and low-emission construction can align growth with sustainability goals. Support for technology upgradation, skilling and logistics efficiency, he says, will strengthen productivity and resilience.

Saurav Ghosh, Co-founder, Jiraaf says, "Retail and bond investors are keenly watching fiscal consolidation and credible deficit guidance in Budget 2026. A disciplined glide path can help keep government bond yields stable and support corporate bond market growth." He adds that increased corporate borrowing via bonds can boost capital formation and economic growth. On taxation, Ghosh does not expect major changes beyond clarifications, given recent reforms in both direct and indirect taxes.

Rikant Pittie, Co-founder and CEO, EaseMyTrip says, “Optimism remains strong in the travel and tourism sector ahead of Budget 2026, supported by continued focus on destination development and infrastructure." He expects measures such as infrastructure status for hospitality, GST rationalisation and higher overseas marketing spends. Pittie adds that "airport expansion and better connectivity to emerging destinations can diversify tourism growth. Policy clarity will strengthen employment generation and economic resilience."

Rajnikant Mishra, Founder and Chairman, Amrawati Group says, “There is strong expectation that Budget 2026–27 will push growth beyond metros into tier two and tier three cities." He says these markets need sustained investment in roads, transport, drainage and urban services to support long-term settlement. Mishra adds that while GST 2.0 has eased some pressure, under-construction projects still face cost stress and need further rationalisation. "Focused labour skilling and worker support", he says, "can improve quality, timelines and employment generation."

Tarun Chugh, Managing Director and CEO, Bajaj Life Insurance says, "The Budget offers an opportunity to strengthen life insurance as a long-term savings and retirement solution through consistent policy support." He says "aligning tax treatment of annuities with pension products and bringing parity between traditional and ULIP policies can simplify decision-making." Chugh adds that rationalising transaction costs and improving affordability in rural and social insurance segments can deepen penetration and improve financial resilience.

Kiran Venugopal, CEO and Founder, Bricks and Milestones says, "India’s housing sector will benefit most from a Budget that strengthens the fundamentals of urban growth. Sustained investment in transport, connectivity and planned city expansion can create long-term momentum for housing demand." He adds that steady focus on urban services such as water, power, mobility and governance is critical for liveability and property value. Policy consistency and predictable financing, Venugopal says, will boost buyer confidence and support balanced urban growth.

Yashesh Mukhi, Founder, Chupps says, “The real opportunity in Budget 2026 lies in strengthening the foundations of consumer manufacturing rather than relying on short-term incentives." He expects continued support for domestic manufacturing, MSMEs and local value chains, especially for digitally native brands. Mukhi adds that targeted policy support for material R&D, compliant manufacturing infrastructure and simplified regulations can boost global competitiveness. He believes rewarding quality-led and sustainable manufacturing can help shift the sector from volume-led to value-led growth.
 

Parvinder Singh, CEO, Trident Realty says, "He expects continued policy support for the premium housing segment, particularly in Tier 2 cities where a lifestyle transformation is underway. With rising demand for larger homes and better amenities, incentive-linked funding and higher investment in urban infrastructure can strengthen buyer confidence. Singh adds that luxury housing in these markets goes beyond premium living, helping create jobs, attract talent and build future-ready urban ecosystems."

Ankur Sachdeva, CEO & Co-Founder, Uppal Brewers and Distillers (UBD) says, “As India’s retail sector moves towards a $1.9 trillion milestone by 2030, startups in value-added manufacturing can benefit from a sharper focus on ease of doing business." He expects greater GST clarity and rationalisation, along with a single-window digital clearance system, to accelerate innovation. Sachdeva adds that interstate regulatory consistency will reduce compliance burdens and enable startups to scale responsibly. Streamlining approvals, he says, "can help Indian-origin brands compete globally and support the ‘Viksit Bharat’ vision.”

Alok Misra, CEO & Director, Microfinance Industry Network (MFIN) says, "The microfinance sector, which touches nearly 30 crore low-income people, needs policy support through a robust KYC framework for accurate borrower verification and responsible credit reporting. In light of the Supreme Court judgement restricting Aadhaar use, solutions such as last-four-digit storage or tokenisation need to be enabled." He also expects "steps to ensure more stable funding mechanisms, as excessive dependence of NBFC-MFIs on bank funding has led to stress and nearly 50 lakh clients exiting formal finance over the past year. Misra adds that improving credit discipline and an early announcement on the proposed credit guarantee scheme could restore lender confidence and support financial inclusion."

Prashanth Reddy, Founder & MD, Anvayaa says, "As India prepares for Budget 2026, it is crucial to strengthen the digital healthcare ecosystem while formally recognising eldercare as a priority sector. Policy support through tax incentives for senior care services, wider insurance coverage for preventive and assisted care, and incentives for digital health platforms will enable scalable, home-based care models. Such measures can significantly improve senior well-being while building a sustainable, technology-driven healthcare and eldercare ecosystem."

Ronnie Screwvala, Entrepreneur, Investor & Co-founder, upGrad & Swades Foundation says, “I think we are in a good place. I think the world is in a rocky place and I think we have behaved in a very mature manner." He expects the focus needs to be "the skilling mantra, which over the last two-three years has actually gathered momentum. We have to offer much more skilled people. I’m not talking about skilled labour alone. The focus over the next five years has to be to upskill people, build self-entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship in a very different manner. For AI, I don’t think over-capitalising the sector is a good idea. The right mix of capital investment is important, with large investments going into data centres, while innovation in areas like healthcare, education and skilling builds step by step."

The ceremony, a long-standing tradition in India's budgetary process, symbolises the transition from drafting and deliberations to the finalisation of the Budget document. It is expected to be attended by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and senior officials of the ministry, along with staff who have been closely involved in the Budget-making exercise.

Following the halwa ceremony, around 60-70 officials directly associated with the preparation and finalisation of the Union Budget will enter the lock-in period.

During this phase, they will remain cut off from all external communication until the Budget is presented in Parliament. The lock-in is a critical confidentiality measure aimed at preventing any leakage of sensitive fiscal information, including tax proposals, expenditure allocations, and policy measures. 

Read more: Budget 2026: Finance Ministry To Hold Halwa Ceremony Today, Signalling Final Stage Of Budget Preparation