Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today made history by presenting a record eighth consecutive budget. The Finance Minister said the Union Budget 2025-26 continues efforts to accelerate growth and provide inclusive development.
Asserting that the Indian economy is the fastest-growing among all major global economies, she said the next five years will be an opportunity to realise ‘Sabka Vikas’.
"Our development track record of the past 10 years and structural reforms have drawn global attention. Confidence in India’s capability and potential has only grown in this period. We see the next five years as a unique opportunity to realize ‘Sabka Vikas’, stimulating balanced growth of all regions.
She said that the proposed development measures in this Budget span 10 broad areas, focussing on the poor, youth, farmers and women.
Key Highlights of Budget 2025-26
https://getapi.indiatvnews.com/doc/highlights-of-budget-2025-26.pdf
Sitharaman also said that PM SVANidhi scheme for street vendors will be revamped with enhanced loans from banks and UPI-linked credit cards with Rs 30,000 limit.
Presenting her eighth consecutive budget, Sitharaman said the scheme has benefited more than 68 lakh street vendors through respite from high interest informal sector loans.
"Building on this success the scheme will be revamped with enhanced loans from banks UPI-linked credit cards with Rs 30,000 limit and capacity building support," she said.
PM Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) is a Special Micro-Credit Facility for providing affordable loans to street vendors.
She also announced PM Dhan Dhyan Krishi Yojana, covering 100 districts with low yields, modern crop intensity and below-average credit parameters. According to Sitharaman, the scheme will benefit 1.7 crore farmers.
While presenting the Budget, the FM said that the Govt will launch a 6-year program for Atamnirbharta in pulses with a special focus on tur, urad, and masoor.
The government will launch modified UDAN scheme to connect 120 destinations to help 4 crore additional passengers in the next 10 years, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said.
Presenting the Union Budget 2025-26, Sitharaman said the government will also facilitate greenfield airports in Bihar to meet future needs of the state.
Meanwhile, benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty rallied in opening trade on Saturday. The 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex climbed 136.44 points to 77,637.01 in opening trade. The NSE Nifty went up by 20.2 points to 23,528.60.
From the 30-share blue-chip pack, ITC Hotels, IndusInd Bank, Mahindra & Mahindra, Sun Pharma, UltraTech Cement and NTPC were among the biggest gainers.
Titan, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Nestle, Asian Paints, HCL Tech and ICICI Bank were among the laggards.