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The 16th Finance Commission (FC)’s vertical devolution recommendations prioritise the needs of the Centre over the realities of States. By merely acknowledging, rather than heeding, States’ fiscal pressures, the FC has taken a distinctly conservative stance. To grasp the underlying tensions, we must first look deeper into the structural issues. The 16th FC has maintained … Read more
Bank of Baroda accounted for 16% of all such charges collected for non-maintenance of minimum balance between FY23 to FY25 | Photo Credit: ANUSHREE FADNAVIS More than Rs 8,000 crore was collected as charges by 12 Public Sector Banks (PSBs) for non-maintenance of minimum balance in the last three financial years, Parliament data showed. With over … Read more
India’s electric mobility (e-mobility) initiatives saw a significant dip in FY27 budget | Photo Credit: – In the Union Budget 2026, allocations for India’s electric mobility (e-mobility) initiatives saw a significant dip, marking a departure from the recent years. Collective allocation for such schemes declined by over 3,700 crores in the 2025-26 Revised Estimates (RE) … Read more
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman shows the digital tablet, enclosed in a traditional red ‘bahi-khata’ style pouch, at the Parliament premises before presenting of the ‘Union Budget 2026-27’, in New Delhi on February 1, 2026. | Photo Credit: PTI A total outlay of over ₹50 lakh crore for all Ministries was given in the 2026-27 Union … Read more
The FM mentioned in her Budget speech that Odisha, Karnataka, and Kerala will develop Turtle Trails to protect and promote nesting sites. | Photo Credit: Asit Kumar In her Union Budget 2026 speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman explicitly named 14 States. However, when accounting for the States and Union Territories associated with the 27 specific … Read more
In the Union Budget 2026 speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman mentioned “Artificial Intelligence” (AI) a record-breaking eleven times, marking the highest frequency the term has appeared in any Indian budget speech to date. The mentions of AI in the Union Budget 2026 speech was focused on the following specific applications Governance: Serving as a force … Read more
Over 45% of India’s rare earths are imported from China | Photo Credit: Steve Marcus Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in her Union Budget 2026 speech that the government will support the mineral-rich States of Odisha, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu in establishing rare earth corridors to promote the mining, processing, research, and manufacturing … Read more
The history of India’s Union Budget is effectively the biography of a nation in transformation. This timeline traces the shifting centre of economic gravity through five decisive phases and how the ‘Briefcase’ has carried India’s destiny — from grain sacks to smartphones — in each Finance Minister’s own words. Year: 1947-48 | A free nation … Read more
India’s Labour Codes came into force in November 2025, marking the most significant labour law reform since Independence. By consolidating 29 central laws into four Codes, the reform aims to simplify compliance, universalise minimum wages, expand social protection, and modernise workplace regulation. Policy debates often portray the Codes as a balancing act between labour flexibility … Read more
As India prepares for Budget 2026-27, it must confront a fundamental, yet persistently ignored, constraint on growth: women’s time poverty. Women contribute only about 18% to India’s GDP, not because they work less, but because a large share of their labour remains unpaid and uncounted in national income. About 40% of India’s women are now … Read more