'Historic' Budget Reflects Aspirations of 140 Crore Indians: PM Modi
"Today's budget is historic. It reflects the aspirations of 140 crore Indians. It strengthens the reform journey and charts a clear roadmap for Viksit Bharat," Modi said.
By : Shashi Bhushan
Update: 2026-02-01 09:19 GMT
New Delhi: Terming the Union Budget 2026-27 as "historic", Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said it reflects the aspirations of 140-crore Indians and charts a clear roadmap for ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047. The Prime Minister described the Budget presented by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman as "ambitious and futuristic" and said it reflects the empowered spirit of the nation’s women.
Modi highlighted that Sitharaman, as a woman finance minister, has set a new record by presenting the country’s Budget for the ninth consecutive time. He dubbed the Budget a "highway of immense opportunities, one that fulfils the dreams of the present and strengthens the foundation of India’s bright future".
"The Budget serves as the basis for India’s high flight towards becoming a developed nation by 2047," the Prime Minister said, adding that the reform express on which India is riding will gain new energy and new momentum through this Budget.
Underlining that the path-breaking reforms undertaken provide the aspiring, courageous and talented youth of India with an open sky to soar, Modi said that the Budget realises the vision of trust-based governance and a human-centric economic framework.
The Prime Minister called the Budget unique, as it focuses on reducing the fiscal deficit and controlling inflation while simultaneously ensuring high capital expenditure and high growth.
"This Budget strengthens India’s global role anew and highlights that India’s 140 crore citizens are not satisfied with being the fastest-growing economy, and the nation is determined to soon become the world’s third-largest economy," Modi said, emphasising that this is the collective resolve of millions of Indians.
The Prime Minister stated that India’s role as a trusted democratic partner and trusted quality supplier is continuously expanding. He underlined that the recent major trade deals India has undertaken are aimed at ensuring maximum benefit for the country’s youth and for small and medium enterprises, with significant steps taken in this Budget to advance that direction.
Emphasising that the Budget presents an ambitious roadmap to accelerate “Make in India” and the “Atmanirbhar Bharat” campaign, Modi noted that the unprecedented support given to sunrise sectors such as the BioPharma Shakti Mission, Semiconductor Mission 2.0, the Electronic Component Manufacturing Scheme, the creation of a rare earth corridor, strengthening the critical minerals sector, new schemes in the textile sector, promotion of high-tech tool manufacturing, and preparation of champion MSMEs is futuristic and addresses both present and future needs of the nation.
The Prime Minister stated that the support extended to MSMEs, including small and cottage industries, will empower them to grow from local to global.
Modi further highlighted that the Budget takes several major steps to strengthen infrastructure, including a dedicated freight corridor, expansion of waterways across the country, a high-speed rail corridor, special focus on the development of tier-2 and tier-3 cities and promotion of municipal bonds to provide stronger economic foundations for cities. He stressed that all these measures will accelerate the journey towards a developed India.
The Prime Minister said that the greatest capital of any nation is its citizens, and in recent years the government has made unprecedented investments to enhance their capabilities.
Reiterating Ms Sitharaman’s "this is a youth power Budget" statement, Modi emphasised that the provisions made in the Budget will prepare leaders, innovators and creators across different sectors. He noted that through the establishment of medical hubs, allied health professionals, promotion of the orange economy including audio-visuals, encouragement of gaming, tourism and the Khelo India Mission, new opportunities will open for the youth.
Extending congratulations to the youth, Modi said that this Budget will give a significant boost to the employment generation. He also pointed out that a major tax concession has been announced to make India the world’s data centre hub.
The Prime Minister expressed happiness that concrete steps have been taken to promote tourism, particularly in the Northeast and that the foundation of balanced development has been strengthened by empowering different states.
Highlighting that more than 10-crore women are associated with self-help groups, Modi said that the Budget prioritises building a modern ecosystem for women-led and women-run self-help groups, with the aim that every household welcomes prosperity.
Modi said that the campaign to build new hostels for girl students in every district will make education more accessible.
The Prime Minister further stressed that agriculture, dairy and fisheries have always been given the highest priority by the government and pointed out that in this Budget important measures have been taken for farmers engaged in the production of coconut, cashew, cocoa and sandalwood.
The Prime Minister said that the “Bharat Vistaar” AI tool will greatly help farmers by providing information in their own language and promoting entrepreneurship in fisheries and animal husbandry, which will create more employment and self-employment opportunities in villages.
“This Budget is ambitious and addresses the aspirations of the nation,” the Prime Minister added.
"The Budget serves as the basis for India’s high flight towards becoming a developed nation by 2047," the Prime Minister said, adding that the reform express on which India is riding will gain new energy and new momentum through this Budget.
Underlining that the path-breaking reforms undertaken provide the aspiring, courageous and talented youth of India with an open sky to soar, Modi said that the Budget realises the vision of trust-based governance and a human-centric economic framework.
The Prime Minister called the Budget unique, as it focuses on reducing the fiscal deficit and controlling inflation while simultaneously ensuring high capital expenditure and high growth.
"This Budget strengthens India’s global role anew and highlights that India’s 140 crore citizens are not satisfied with being the fastest-growing economy, and the nation is determined to soon become the world’s third-largest economy," Modi said, emphasising that this is the collective resolve of millions of Indians.
The Prime Minister stated that India’s role as a trusted democratic partner and trusted quality supplier is continuously expanding. He underlined that the recent major trade deals India has undertaken are aimed at ensuring maximum benefit for the country’s youth and for small and medium enterprises, with significant steps taken in this Budget to advance that direction.
Emphasising that the Budget presents an ambitious roadmap to accelerate “Make in India” and the “Atmanirbhar Bharat” campaign, Modi noted that the unprecedented support given to sunrise sectors such as the BioPharma Shakti Mission, Semiconductor Mission 2.0, the Electronic Component Manufacturing Scheme, the creation of a rare earth corridor, strengthening the critical minerals sector, new schemes in the textile sector, promotion of high-tech tool manufacturing, and preparation of champion MSMEs is futuristic and addresses both present and future needs of the nation.
The Prime Minister stated that the support extended to MSMEs, including small and cottage industries, will empower them to grow from local to global.
Modi further highlighted that the Budget takes several major steps to strengthen infrastructure, including a dedicated freight corridor, expansion of waterways across the country, a high-speed rail corridor, special focus on the development of tier-2 and tier-3 cities and promotion of municipal bonds to provide stronger economic foundations for cities. He stressed that all these measures will accelerate the journey towards a developed India.
The Prime Minister said that the greatest capital of any nation is its citizens, and in recent years the government has made unprecedented investments to enhance their capabilities.
Reiterating Ms Sitharaman’s "this is a youth power Budget" statement, Modi emphasised that the provisions made in the Budget will prepare leaders, innovators and creators across different sectors. He noted that through the establishment of medical hubs, allied health professionals, promotion of the orange economy including audio-visuals, encouragement of gaming, tourism and the Khelo India Mission, new opportunities will open for the youth.
Extending congratulations to the youth, Modi said that this Budget will give a significant boost to the employment generation. He also pointed out that a major tax concession has been announced to make India the world’s data centre hub.
The Prime Minister expressed happiness that concrete steps have been taken to promote tourism, particularly in the Northeast and that the foundation of balanced development has been strengthened by empowering different states.
Highlighting that more than 10-crore women are associated with self-help groups, Modi said that the Budget prioritises building a modern ecosystem for women-led and women-run self-help groups, with the aim that every household welcomes prosperity.
Modi said that the campaign to build new hostels for girl students in every district will make education more accessible.
The Prime Minister further stressed that agriculture, dairy and fisheries have always been given the highest priority by the government and pointed out that in this Budget important measures have been taken for farmers engaged in the production of coconut, cashew, cocoa and sandalwood.
The Prime Minister said that the “Bharat Vistaar” AI tool will greatly help farmers by providing information in their own language and promoting entrepreneurship in fisheries and animal husbandry, which will create more employment and self-employment opportunities in villages.
“This Budget is ambitious and addresses the aspirations of the nation,” the Prime Minister added.