2026

NEW DELHI: High railway freight rates arising from cross-subsidisation are distorting competition with road transport, pushing up commodity prices, consumer inflation, and overall logistics costs, the Economic Survey 2025–26 highlighted.Reiterating the proposal in the Electricity Amendment Bill, 2026, the survey recommended the complete elimination of cross-subsidies for railways and the manufacturing sector within the next…

The BJP launched a nationwide campaign to explain the Union Budget 2026 to the public, with press conferences reportedly planned at 150 locations featuring ministers and party leaders from February 1-15. The party will combine traditional outreach with digital campaigns.A special team led by National General Secretary Tarun Chugh will oversee the ‘Budget Outreach Campaign…

As finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman prepares to present the Union Budget for FY 2026-27 on February 1, the exercise also draws attention to how India’s most important economic document has evolved – from a colonial-era English text to a more accessible public instrument. Colonial origins of the Budget India’s first Union Budget was presented on…

NEW DELHI: As India prepares for the Union Budget for 2026–27, scheduled to be presented on February 1, it is worth noting that when the country’s budgetary journey began, in a vastly different India, still finding its feet after independence.India’s first Union Budget was presented on November 26, 1947, three months after the country attained…