Overview
- Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla confirmed Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the 2026–27 Budget at 11 am on Sunday, February 1, marking her ninth consecutive Budget.
- Parliament’s Budget Session will run January 28 to April 2 in two parts, with a recess after February 13 and resumption on March 9; the Economic Survey is slated to be tabled before the Budget.
- With February 1 falling on a Sunday that coincides with Guru Ravidas Jayanti, government offices and stock markets are expected to be closed, so investors will react when markets reopen Monday after exchanges issue guidance on trading hours.
- Stakeholder inputs highlight tax-law clarity and quicker dispute resolution as priorities, with KPMG flagging over 540,000 pending appeals and calling for GST process fixes, refunds, and inverted-duty corrections building on GST 2.0.
- Economists expect the government to target 8.5–9% growth and lift capex to about Rs 12–12.2 lakh crore, while the Congress urges action on sluggish private investment, falling household savings, rising inequality, and incorporation of 16th Finance Commission recommendations.