Friday, August 07
Budget 2026 is just hours away, and tomorrow will be all about the numbers. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to present her ninth consecutive Union Budget, a first for any finance minister, with attention firmly on customs reforms and the next phase of fiscal consolidation.Sitharaman had marked her first Budget in 2019 by replacing the traditional leather briefcase with a red cloth-wrapped bahi-khata. Like the last four years, the 2026 Budget will again be presented in a fully paperless format.Also Read: From GDP to RBI policy moves, A-Z of Union Budget explainedHere are the key numbers and signals markets will track ahead of the Union Budget for FY27 and beyond:Fiscal DeficitThe fiscal deficit for FY26 is budgeted at 4.4% of GDP, keeping the government on its consolidation path.
