From the Chairman’s desk
From the Chairman’s desk

India is celebrating its Budget 2025-26 by Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, presented by her on 1st Feb, for a record 8th time. It brings major tax relief for middle class and salaried employees; no tax on income up to Rs.12 lakhs annually. Overall, the Budget focuses on accelerating growth, inclusive development, boosting private sector investments, help middle class and promote consumption. This year's capital expenditure is at Rs 10.18 lakh crore, fiscal prudence with estimated deficit 4.4%, focus on National Manufacturing Mission, boost agriculture, MSMEs, and promoting innovation. A few headlines in major newspapers – “Common Man on the Moon” in ET, “(Middle) Class Action to Boost Demand”, “FM throws a party for aam aadmi” in FE, “Middle-class moment arrives”, “Make India Great Again” in NBT etc.

This year’s Economic Survey highlighted the need for ‘deregulation’ for corporate reforms. The Budget recommends formation of a High Level Committee on Regulatory Reforms to review all non-financial sector regulations, certifications and licensing requirements. Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) would evaluate the impact of current financial regulations and formulate a framework to enhance their responsiveness. An Investment Friendliness Index of States will be introduced along with Jan Vishwas Bill 2.0 to decriminalise more than 100 provisions across laws.

Altogether, a historic budget (details in highlights), focus on agriculture, MSMEs, start-ups, exports, innovation, inclusivity; fiscal prudence; relief for middle class, promotion for investment & private sector.

On the competition side, in a recent judgment (Independent Sugar Corporation Limited v. Girish Sriram Juneja), Supreme Court ruled that it is mandatory to obtain the approval of CCI before the resolution plan is approved by Committee of Creditors (CoC), under proviso to section 31(4) IBC. Among other deals, CCI approved Adani Group’s Dubai based Renew Exim DMCC’s acquisition of 72.64% stakes in ITD Cementation, an engineering and construction company.

Exciting times ahead, stay tuned with us!

Honored to call on Hon’ble President of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan

Honored to call on Hon’ble Finance Minister, Govt. of India

Honored to call on Sr. Minister (now Hon'ble President) Singapore, Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam

Key Features of Budget 2025-2026