Dr. Prathap C Reddy, Founder and Chairman, Apollo Hospitals says, "The Union Budget 2026–27 sends a reassuring message that India’s growth will be anchored in healthier citizens and stronger health systems. The continued focus on expanding public health capacity, strengthening prevention, and improving access across tier-2 and tier-3 India is consistent with the vision of Viksit Bharat.
He says we welcome the emphasis to deepen India’s life sciences and innovation ecosystem through Biopharma SHAKTI, including new and upgraded education and research institutions and a nationwide network of 1000 accredited clinical trial sites. These steps will accelerate the development of advanced therapies and reinforce India’s position as a trusted global destination for healthcare and life sciences.
The focus on people is especially heartening. Adding 10,000 medical seats in the coming year, alongside training 1.5 lakh caregivers and scaling allied health disciplines, can strengthen the Prime Minister's vision of Heal in India, Heal by India. Supporting states to create five hubs for medical tourism will elevate quality standards across regions. We appreciate the reaffirmed commitment to mental health and trauma care through the proposal to establish NIMHANS-2, upgrade apex mental health institutions in Ranchi and Tezpur, and expand emergency and trauma care capacity by 50% in district hospitals through dedicated centres.
At Apollo Hospitals, we remain committed to working closely with the government and all stakeholders to translate these priorities into measurable health outcomes for every Indian."
C.S. Vigneshwar, President, Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA)
Reacting to the Union Budget 2026–27 said, "The Union Budget 2026-27 presents a robust roadmap for the various sector’s transition toward a sustainable and technologically advanced future. We particularly welcome the government's commitment to the electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem by extending basic customs duty exemptions for capital goods used in manufacturing Lithium-Ion Cells,. This, combined with the establishment of Rare Earth Corridors in mineral-rich states to support permanent magnet manufacturing, will significantly bolster domestic EV production and affordability.
The push for green mobility is further strengthened by the provision of 4,000 e-buses for the North-East and Purvodaya regions, and the exclusion of biogas value from Central Excise duty on blended CNG,. These measures, alongside the India Semiconductor Mission 2.0, will help stabilize the supply chain for modern vehicles.
For our dealer community, many of whom are MSMEs, the ₹10,000 crore SME Growth Fund and the mandating of TReDS for settlement are pivotal steps toward improving liquidity and growth,. Additionally, the Income Tax exemption for interest awarded by Motor Accident Claims Tribunals (MACT) is a welcome relief for individual vehicle owners and victims,. Overall, this budget balances industrial scaling with consumer-centric tax reforms."
Mr. Ranganath Kuppur, CEO, Globus FashionThe post–Union Budget 2026–27 said, “The Union Budget 2026–27 reinforces India’s growth story with continued emphasis on consumption, GST rationalisation and structural reforms that support trade and enterprise. For organised fashion retail, this creates a stronger runway — one where simpler tax structures, improved logistics and clearer frameworks for digital commerce can unlock faster responsiveness to consumer trends. At Globus Fashion, our work is rooted in making aspirational, quality fashion accessible across India and beyond. With the right policy momentum behind retail and export-oriented commerce, Indian brands can not only serve evolving domestic consumers more effectively but also scale confidently into global markets.”
Mr. Manoj Tulsian, CEO & Joint Managing Director, Greenply Industries Ltd.
“The Union Budget 2026 presents a clear and growth-oriented vision for India’s economy, with a strong focus on manufacturing, infrastructure and job creation. The Government’s continued reform momentum, driven by over 350 reforms announced since Independence Day 2025, including GST simplification, labour reforms and reduced compliance will significantly ease operations for organized manufacturers, enabling faster expansion, better efficiency and improved formalization across sectors like wood panels and interior infrastructure.
Rise in public capex and building focus on infrastructure are expected to drive housing and realty activity in tier II and tier III cities, where the demand for quality, branded interior solutions is increasing at a faster pace. This will in turn directly help the homebuyer due to better access to well-finished, durable and safe interiors as well as enhanced demand for plywood, MDF and related products.
The emphasis on strengthening MSMEs and reviving traditional industrial clusters is particularly encouraging for the wood-based industry, which depends on a large network of carpenters, fabricators and small processing units. Improved access to finance, technology and compliance support will help upgrade skills, enhance productivity and create more stable livelihoods for skilled and semi-skilled workers across non-metro regions.
At the same time, the Government’s commitment to fiscal discipline, reflected in a gradual reduction in fiscal deficit and debt levels, provides long-term economic stability. At Greenply Industries, this balanced approach between growth and financial discipline gives us the confidence to continue investing in capacity expansion, sustainable manufacturing practices and skill development, while contributing meaningfully to India’s housing growth and a more responsible interior infrastructure ecosystem.”
Mr. Meenu Singhal, Regional Managing Director, Socomec Innovative Power Solutions“The Union Budget 2026–27 charts a decisive course for India’s evolution into a global technology leader. The enhanced capital outlay of ₹12.2 lakh crore and the launch of the India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 reaffirm the government’s commitment to deep-tech indigenization. The ₹40,000 crore allocation for electronics component manufacturing is a strategic intervention that propels the ecosystem toward advanced engineering and value creation. The focus on establishing Rare Earth Corridors further strengthens the foundation for a secure and self-reliant supply chain. The budget’s emphasis on providing skilling programmes will encourage the youth in providing quality employment opportunities.
At Socomec, we welcome the government’s thrust on high-tech manufacturing and the ₹10,000 crore MSME Growth Fund, both of which will accelerate innovation and competitiveness across the electrical sector, driving the vision of an ‘Aatmanirbhar’ and ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047.”
Dr. K. Anand Kumar, MD, Indian Immunologicals Ltd:
As India moves forward with the INR 10,000 Cr BioPharma Shakti initiative, the Union Budget presented a defining moment to strengthen the country’s position as a global vaccine and biologics manufacturing hub.
India already supplies nearly 60% of the world’s vaccines, and this initiative has the potential to accelerate our transition from being a volume-driven supplier to an innovation-led biopharma leader. Targeted investments in advanced manufacturing infrastructure, high-containment facilities, and indigenous production of key raw materials such as culture media, adjuvants, and single-use systems will significantly improve supply chain resilience.
Overall, the Budget lays a strong foundation for India to evolve from the ‘pharmacy of the world’ to a trusted global hub for affordable vaccines, biologics, and health security.
Rahul Attuluri, CEO and Co-Founder of NxtWave Disruptive Technologies
The Union Budget 2026 lays a strong focus on emerging technologies, particularly AI, as core drivers of Viksit Bharat, signalling a shift from degree-centric education to skill-centric employability. Union Budget 2026–27 is truly a ‘Yuva Shakti–driven budget’, with a renewed emphasis on education, skills, creative industries, and employment pathways to fulfil the aspirations of India’s youth. The Finance Minister’s proposal to set up an ‘Education to Employment’ standing committee is a timely and much-needed move. The budget’s push to expand higher education capacity and improve student access through scale, inclusion, and strengthened infrastructure will help create vibrant learning ecosystems and build a future-ready education system for students across Bharat. The focus on assessing AI’s impact on jobs and aligning skills with future demand positions India to build a globally competitive workforce and move closer to a 10% share of the global services economy by 2047.
Mr. Karun Tadepalli, Co-Founder & CEO, byteXL Pvt Ltd The Union Budget sends a clear and decisive message that India’s growth story will be powered by human capital, deep tech, and employability at scale. The government’s continued emphasis on skill development, AI-driven learning, research, and greater participation of women in STEM reflects a shift from education as access to education as outcomes.
For companies like ours, this marks an important inflection point. The last few years have seen the edtech winter, but with the AI-focused investments and policy support, we are confident this is the path to long-term, impact-led skilling. This Budget reinforces that the future lies not in course delivery alone, but in building integrated partnerships with universities, industry, and government to create job-ready talent. Skilling must move from being transactional to transformational.
We see strong potential in the government’s push to strengthen India’s digital infrastructure, with the long tax holiday for foreign cloud firms to operate through Indian data centres. Expanding domestic data centre capacity and improving access to affordable cloud and compute infrastructure can be a game changer for startups and skilling companies alike.
I believe the real opportunity is to embed industry-aligned curricula within campuses, enable hands-on learning with emerging technologies, and bridge the gap between academic knowledge and real-world application. I see this Budget as a strong call to action for skilling players to evolve into true talent partners, working closely with institutions and enterprises to deliver measurable career outcomes. With the right execution, India can move beyond being a talent supplier to becoming the world’s most trusted hub for tech-ready, innovation-driven professionals.
Rajiv Chilaka, Founder & CEO, Green Gold Animation,
The Finance Minister’s renewed focus on the AVGC sector and structured content creation at both school and college levels is a transformative step for India’s creative economy. By establishing Animation, VFX, Gaming and Comics Content Creator Labs across thousands of educational institutions, the government is building a deep, sustainable talent pipeline aligned with the industry’s projected requirement of nearly 2 million professionals by 2030.
What is particularly encouraging is the strong push this will give to regional content creators, enabling talent beyond metro cities to access world-class tools, training, and production ecosystems. This will accelerate original IP creation in local languages, expand employment opportunities, and fuel India’s cultural exports globally.
These measures not only strengthen skill development but also lay the foundation for India to emerge as a global hub for high-value digital content, gaming, and animation production. For the industry, this is a commercially significant and future-ready policy direction that will unlock long-term growth, innovation, and global competitiveness.
Murty LVLN, CEO, Dvara KGFS
The 2026–27 Budget underscores the importance of strengthening grassroots incomes as a foundation for India’s growth. Continued focus on farmers, weavers and small enterprises reflects recognition that stable household incomes and access to formal finance are essential for sustaining rural demand. Initiatives such as the Bharat Vistaar AI platform and the rollout of AgriStack can improve productivity, reduce information gaps and enable more data-backed lending. Investments in rural infrastructure, agriculture-linked value chains, and targeted support for high-value crops, livestock and natural farming further expand livelihood opportunities.
From a financial sector perspective, the Budget signals intent rather than immediate relief. Measures such as the ₹10,000 crore SME Growth Fund, expanded use of TReDS, higher RIDF allocations and the proposed Banking for Viksit Bharat committee indicate a willingness to strengthen rural credit delivery. Sustained and well-calibrated policy support will be critical for institutions like Dvara KGFS to continue providing responsible, last-mile financial solutions.
Mr. Rakesh Jain, CEO, IndusInd General Insurance.Union Budget 2026–27 is a forward-looking and reassuring document presented at a time when global volatility, geopolitical tensions, and supply-chain disruptions continue to shape economic realities. The Finance Minister’s emphasis on accelerating growth especially in new age sector while strengthening resilience reflects a clear understanding of what India needs at this stage of its development.
For the general insurance sector, several parts of this Budget create strong tailwinds. The MSME-focused measures including the ₹10,000 crore SME Growth Fund, the additional support to the Self-Reliant India Fund, and the significant strengthening of the TReDS ecosystem through CPSE onboarding, credit guarantee support, GeM linkages, and securitisation of receivables expand formalisation and improve liquidity for small businesses. These steps broaden the base of insurable enterprises and support wider adoption of property, liability, marine, cyber and employee health insurance in the country.
The reforms related to motor insurance, particularly the exemption of income tax on interest awarded by the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal and the removal of TDS, will meaningfully improve claimant outcomes and reinforce trust in the claims process. This is an important step towards making motor insurance more customer centric and responsive.
The Government’s ₹10,000 crore Biopharma Shakti initiative aims to position India as a global hub for biologics and biosimilars, strengthening domestic research and manufacturing. The Budget also expands health capacity by adding Allied Health Professionals, enhancing district level emergency and trauma care, training caregivers, and supporting regional medical hubs. These measures together improve healthcare delivery, outcomes, and long term insurance sustainability.
Beyond direct sector touchpoints, the Budget’s large-scale push on infrastructure including increased public capex of Rs12.2 Lakhs crore, dedicated freight corridors, expansion of waterways, high-speed rail development, and city economic regions opens major avenues for engineering, project liability, and specialty insurance. The proposed Infrastructure Risk Guarantee Fund is also a welcome move that can help de-risk large projects and accelerate private-sector participation.
Equally important is the renewed focus on India’s next phase of urban expansion. The plan to develop Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities through City Economic Regions signals a major shift in how regional growth will be shaped. By channelling investment into these emerging urban centres and strengthening them around their core economic strengths, the government is enabling more balanced urbanisation, stronger commercial ecosystems, and modern infrastructure. As these cities scale, the complexity of economic activity will rise, increasing the demand for holistic risk solutions across property, infrastructure, liability and transit. Insurers will play a crucial role in helping businesses and communities in these regions manage risks effectively and grow with confidence.
The Budget’s strong emphasis on renewable energy, carbon capture, and advanced manufacturing broadens the risk landscape in areas such as climate-linked exposures, environmental liability, and sustainable energy projects. This creates opportunities to scale parametric covers, catastrophe protection, and climate-risk solutions that will be crucial for India’s long-term resilience.
As India moves confidently towards its vision of Viksit Bharat, the general insurance sector is committed to partnering in this journey protecting people, supporting businesses, enabling infrastructure, and building a more secure and resilient nation. concludes Rakesh Jain, CEO, IndusInd General Insurance.
.png)
.jpeg)
%20M.%20D.%20Venkatesh,%20VSM%20(Retd.),%20Vice%20Chancellor,%20MAHE,%20exchanges%20a%20memento%20with%20Mr%20Chandru%20Iyer,%20during%20his%20visit%20to%20MAHE.JPG)