Economic Survey calls for phasing out cross-subsidised rail and power tariffs to cut logistics costs, boost competitiveness

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…

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Budget 2026: Over 100 press meets, reels & more — BJP rolls out nationwide ‘Outreach Campaign’

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…

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From stability to strategic indispensability: What the Economic Survey sets up for Budget Sunday

The Economic Survey 2025-26 arrives with an unusual degree of calm. Inflation, it says, is likely to remain muted in the medium term. Growth prospects remain healthy, though revised. Banks are stable, balance sheets are stronger, and domestic demand continues to hold up even as the global economy grows more uncertain.That calm matters. It changes…

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47% for defence, Rs 197 crore expenditure: A look at India’s first Budget in 1947

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…

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