In a historic first, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her ninth consecutive budget on Sunday, with a focus on infrastructure, growth and development across states and sectors. Some of the major announcements made by the FM in her Budget presentation included a Rs 12.2 lakh crore capital expenditure programme for FY27, new freight corridors and the Mahatma Gandhi Gram Swaraj Initiative to promote rural industries. Additionally, an infrastructure boost will be given through projects such as 20 new national waterways over the next five years.
Netizens React To Budget 2026
Users on social media platform X expressed their thoughts on the budget via memes and jokes.
Of course, a Bollywood meme made it's way to social media. A user picked a scene from the iconic film 'Mughal-E-Azam' to express his thoughts.
Another one tried to show the sharp spike in ‘economists' on Feb. 1, the day of the Budget.
A user poked fun at the personal financial struggles of ordinary people during the Budget. “Me watching Budget with Rs 470 in my account,” the post read.
Echoing a similar sentiment using a scene from the the TV serial 'Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah'.
Sanjay Dutt fans used a 'Munna Bhai MBBS' reference to express their confused state of mind on Budget day.
The FM also announced seven high-speed corridors connecting major cities as growth drivers. A ship repair ecosystem for inland waterways will be developed in Varanasi and Patna. An outlay of Rs 20,000 crore has been proposed for a carbon capture and utilisation scheme across steel and cement sectors.
Sitharaman proposed increasing the outlay on electronic manufacturing to Rs 40,000 crore in FY27. She announced support for mineral-rich states, three dedicated chemical parks and a renewed Semiconductor Mission 2.0. The budget also includes targeted interventions across six key sectors, including healthcare.
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