Category: News

NEW DELHI: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman may not have opened the purse strings for poll-bound states in Union Budget 2026 but she made them a part of many ambitious development initiatives like the rare earth corridor, dedicated freight passage and the proposed high-speed rail networks.Assembly elections are scheduled in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam...

Carlos Alcaraz (AP Photo) NEW DELHI: Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz claimed his first Australian Open title with a commanding four-set victory over Novak Djokovic, defeating the Serbian 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 on Rod Laver Arena on Sunday. The win not only denied Djokovic a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam but also made Alcaraz the youngest man in...

“Deeply shocked and concerned”: IFTDA condemns firing incident at Rohit Shetty’s Mumbai residence The Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA) has strongly condemned the firing incident that took place outside Bollywood director-producer Rohit Shetty‘s Juhu residence. In a statement, the IFTDA, while expressed deep safety concerns, also sought personal intervention from Maharashtra Chief Minister...

NEW DELHI: The Union Budget 2026 has set aside Rs 7.85 lakh crore for defence, marking a sharp 15 per cent jump from Rs 6.81 lakh crore last year, as the government sharpens its focus on military modernisation in the post Operation Sindoor security environment.According to official figures, the defence outlay for 2026–27 stands at...

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (File photo) Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday warned the United States’ Middle East allies that any potential US attack on the Islamic Republic would trigger a regional war, amid heightened tensions between the two countries following deadly domestic protests in Iran.Speaking at a legislative session, Khamenei told Iranians they...

Securities Transaction Tax (STT) on derivatives will rise from April 1, 2026, after the Finance minister Sithraman in her 9th budget speech proposed higher rates on futures and options trading as part of Budget 2026 changes to the Finance (No. 2) Act, 2004.Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the move while presenting the Budget, saying: “I...

Budget 2026 sharpens focus on Kendriya and Navodaya Vidyalayas as school education gets fresh funding push. India’s Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV) and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (NV) two central schools systems have again been given new priorities in the Union Budget 2026-27 with increased funds being given to improve access to these schools, infrastructure, and day-to-day running...

<img src="https://static.toiimg.com/thumb/msid-127840117,imgsize-688327,width-400,resizemode-4/untitled-design-2026-02-01t164303.jpg" alt="Budget 2026: Nirmala Sitharaman outlines Viksit Bharat roadmap for NBFCs, flags restructuring of PFC and REC" title=" File photo: Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman ” decoding=”async” fetchpriority=”high”> File photo: Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday laid out the government’s vision for non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) under the...

Nirmala Sitharaman NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hailed Union Budget 2026 as a “highway of immense opportunities”, saying the “Reform Express” on which India is riding will draw fresh energy and momentum from the proposals announced by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.Sitharaman, presenting her ninth consecutive Union Budget, anchored her speech around three...

Union Budget 2026: Every year, one of the main components of the Budget presentation is the income tax, as taxpayers keenly watch for changes in the slabs, tax rates and other factors — which may ease their tax burden! However, post Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Union Budget speech, the income tax framework remains unchanged from...