Mr. Jaishankar Natarajan, Chief Executive Officer and Director, India Autism Center
"The Union Budget 2026 marks a meaningful shift in how India is beginning to view mental health and neuroscience, particularly through the announcement of a second NIMHANS in North India. By expanding advanced neuroscience research, mental health education, and clinical services, the Budget acknowledges that mental health infrastructure must grow in depth, scale, and expertise to meet rising needs. Equally important is the recognition that care cannot remain confined to institutions or emergency settings alone. For individuals under spectrum, care does not end at emergency intervention it is lifelong, specialised, and deeply human, closely aligning with our mission at the India Autism Center. Through our Caregiver Outreach Programme to train 300 specialised caregivers for Samavesh, our purpose-built residential care facility, we are addressing an invisible crisis that has long remained under-acknowledged: the shortage of trained, autism-specific caregivers. The Budget's emphasis on building both institutional capacity and a skilled caregiving workforce is an important step towards moving mental health and neurodevelopmental care from the margins to the mainstream, where continuity, empathy, and expertise are treated as essentials, not afterthoughts."
"The Union Budget 2026–27 clearly positions manufacturing at the heart of India's energy transition. By extending customs duty exemptions for batteries, energy storage systems, critical mineral processing, and nuclear infrastructure, the government has provided long-term policy certainty that will accelerate domestic value addition and global-scale manufacturing in India. This budget recognises that energy security, clean energy deployment, and industrial competitiveness are deeply interconnected. The strong push for solar integrated with storage, coupled with support for advanced manufacturing and R&D, reinforces India's ambition to 'Make in India for the World'—not just as a market for clean technologies, but as a trusted global manufacturing hub driving the energy transition."-- said Dr. Chetan Shah, Chairman & Managing Director, Solex Energy Limited
Mahesh Iyer – Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Thomas Cook (India) Limited
"The Union Budget 2026 reflects a strong recognition of tourism as a strategic pillar for economic growth, employment generation, and regional development. From a consumer standpoint, the rationalisation of Tax Collected at Source is a welcome move, the simplified flat 2% TCS on overseas tour programme packages replaces the earlier two-tier structure, easing compliance and unblocking cash flows for travellers. We also appreciate the reduction of TCS to 2% on education and medical remittances, which will significantly ease the burden on these important long-term drivers, especially amid the impact of rupee depreciation.
The pilot initiative to upskill 10,000 tourist guides across 20 iconic sites through a standardised 12-week hybrid programme is a strong step towards ensuring quality service delivery and enhancing India's global competitiveness. Additionally, the development of seven high-speed rail corridors, expansion of 20–25 new National Waterways, and incentives for indigenising seaplane manufacturing will greatly enhance connectivity and unlock new tourism circuits, including remote and island destinations. The proposed scheme to develop five regional medical tourism hubs in partnership with the private sector further strengthens India's positioning as a global healthcare destination.
Overall, the Budget reinforces tourism's role in driving inclusive growth; however, a higher marketing outlay towards promoting Incredible India could have delivered a powerful double-barrel impact by complementing infrastructure development with stronger global visibility."
Mr. Vishal Suri – Managing Director & CEO, SOTC Travel Limited
"Budget 2026 sets the stage for accelerated growth in India's travel and tourism sector. The reduction of TCS on outbound travel to 2% will make international holidays more accessible and boost demand. While the establishment of five regional medical tourism hubs positions India as a leading destination for integrated hospitality and healthcare. High-speed rail corridors, city economic regions and the expansion of nature-based and experiential tourism—from eco-trails and mountain circuits to wildlife and heritage experiences—will enhance connectivity and diversify offerings. Initiatives such as training 10,000 tourist guides, establishing the National Institute of Hospitality, and developing a Digital Knowledge Grid will professionalize the workforce and strengthen planning. Together, these measures enhance the competitiveness of Indian tour operators, attract investment, and create new opportunities across the tourism value chain. We welcome these progressive steps, while continuing to advocate for formal Industry status for tourism to unlock the sector's full potential."
The focus on growing the orange economy recognises that creativity and cultural knowledge are becoming economic assets. As this ecosystem scales, preserving lineage, family heritage, context, and ancestral wisdom while making it credible and accessible for modern professionals will be key to sustaining its growth.- Arvind Subbarao, Co-Founder & CEO, iMeUsWe.
Prof. M. A. Venkataramanan, Pro Vice-Chancellor, FLAME University
"The Union Budget 2026 clearly signals a shift from education as a standalone sector to education as a national growth engine. By strengthening education-to-employment alignment through a high-powered standing committee, investing in university townships near industry corridors, and empowering City Economic Regions, the government is building ecosystems where learning, research, and enterprise reinforce each other. This creates an urgent demand for graduates who can think across disciplines, apply knowledge in real-world contexts, and work at the intersection of technology, policy, sustainability, and society.
At FLAME University, our interdisciplinary, experiential learning model is designed precisely for this moment—where capital expenditure, infrastructure expansion, and services-led growth require adaptable, globally-relevant talent. Continued investment in frontier research infrastructure, including four national astronomy and telescope facilities, strengthens India's global academic standing and opens new avenues for international research collaboration.
Equally transformative are structural enablers such as capital support for one girls' hostel in every district for STEM institutions, which addresses access, safety, and long-term retention of women in science and technology. Simplifying tax compliance for faculty and researchers further strengthens global academic mobility.
Together, these measures reposition our universities as engines of employability, innovation, and global engagement, preparing our multidisciplinary graduates and research leaders who can meaningfully contribute to India's economic and knowledge ambitions through 2047 and beyond."
The Budget reinforces the role of services and IT as the primary engines of job creation, with a strong push towards policy clarity and long-term certainty through measures such as a unified IT services framework, common safe harbour margins, automated approvals and five-year continuity. The continued emphasis on trust-based governance, labour code reforms, GST simplification and deregulation will reduce friction for employers, enabling organisations to redirect focus and capital towards sustained hiring and workforce expansion.
The creation of a High-Powered Education to Employment and Enterprise Committee, along with investments across digital, AVGC, healthcare, allied services and design, signals a strong commitment to building a future-ready talent pipeline aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat. Further, investments in rural infrastructure, digital connectivity and logistics will encourage diversification of production capacity into Tier II, Tier III and rural regions, bringing more people into the workforce. This geographic and sectoral expansion is expected to significantly increase demand for flexible and temporary staffing, opening new avenues of growth while supporting inclusive and scalable employment across India. - Mr. Ratish Kumar, CFO, ManpowerGroup India.
“The Union Budget meaningfully advances the vision of Viksit Bharat by strengthening India's electronics and semiconductor manufacturing backbone. The ₹40,000 crore allocation for electronics components and semiconductors will directly benefit Aimtron by improving domestic availability of semiconductor-linked components, reducing import dependence, and enabling faster scale-up of our EMS, PCB assembly, box-build, and system integration operations serving India, the US, and global customers. Coupled with the SME Growth Fund and logistics-led infrastructure investments, the budget reinforces India's role as a trusted, export-ready manufacturing hub, aligning closely with Aimtron's India–US growth strategy.”-Mukesh Vasani, Chairman & Managing Director, Aimtron Electronics.
“This is a landmark Budget anchored in the spirit of Kartavya and focused on building economic resilience. The proposal to create Rare Earth Corridors is the missing link for India's EV sovereignty, directly addressing long standing dependence on imported NdFeB magnets. By de risking the value chain from mining to advanced manufacturing and backing strategic and frontier sectors, Budget 2026 lays the foundation for true Atmanirbharta in electric mobility.”- Mr. Jaideep Wadhwa, Director, Sterling Tools Limited
The Union Budget 2026 reinforces India's manufacturing ambitions with an enhanced ₹40,000 crore outlay for electronics manufacturing and a ₹10,000 crore SME Growth Fund to strengthen domestic value chains. These measures will support innovation and scale across the sector, creating a more robust ecosystem in which companies like Calcom Vision can contribute to technology-driven growth and energy-efficient solutions, furthering India's journey as a globally competitive manufacturing hub.— Mr. Abhishek Malik, Executive Director, Calcom Vision Limited
" Aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat, the Union Budget reinforces the focus on sustainability-driven growth for India's core manufacturing sectors. For stainless steel manufacturers, decarbonisation is pivotal to long-term competitiveness and aligning with global export standards.
The ₹20,000 crore commitment towards carbon capture and utilisation acknowledges the challenges faced by hard-to-abate sectors and is expected to accelerate the adoption of cleaner, more efficient processes across the steel value chain. A well-defined implementation roadmap and access to advanced technologies will be crucial in translating this support into tangible, industry-wide impact. " - Chandragupt Prakash Mangal, Managing Director, Mangalam Worldwide Limited.
The Union Budget for FY 2026–27 continues the government's reform-led focus on improving farm incomes. The emphasis on high-value crops like cashew and initiatives such as Bharat-VISTAAR reflects a push towards more efficient, technology-led farming. This builds on earlier reforms such as GST rationalisation in tractors, which reduced cost friction and improved demand transparency. Together, these measures support wider adoption of mechanisation and data-driven practices as Indian agriculture moves up the value curve. The increase in capital expenditure to ₹12.2 lakh crore and the sustained focus on infrastructure are also welcome and support construction activity and equipment demand across roads, logistics and urban development. The proposed scheme for construction and infrastructure equipment manufacturing is another positive step and we look forward to its details. " - Bharat Madan, Whole-time Director & CFO, Escorts Kubota.
Sparsh Sachar, Director and Business Head, FMCG, Nutrica Foods
Union Budget 2026 takes a meaningful step towards addressing India's long-standing dependence on imported edible oils by shifting the focus to domestic oilseed productivity and resilience. The emphasis on high-value crops, climate-resilient agriculture and improved agri-credit can help farmers invest more confidently in better inputs and practices for oilseed cultivation.
The integration of AI through initiatives like Bharat-VISTAAR also has the potential to improve crop planning, yield predictability and risk management for oilseed farmers. Over time, these measures can support a more stable domestic oil ecosystem, benefiting farmers, agri-businesses and consumers by reducing volatility and import vulnerability.
Ranjith Mukundan, CEO and Co-Founder, Stellapps Technologies
The Bharat-VISTAAR announcement in Budget 2026 reflects a shift toward managing agriculture as an end-to-end food system rather than a set of isolated farm activities. In categories like dairy and perishables, outcomes are shaped across the entire chain, from on-farm decisions and quality control to cold-chain movement and last-mile delivery, where real-time data and execution discipline matter as much as production.
The focus on allied activities and post-harvest infrastructure directly supports a farm-to-table approach, which is essential for reducing losses, improving consistency, and meeting export and premium market standards.
Jinesh Shah, Managing Partner, Omnivore
The agriculture announcements in Budget 2026 point to a structural shift in how India approaches food security and farm incomes. Platforms like the AI-driven Bharat-VISTAAR recognise that stable food systems are built through better decision-making, climate resilience, and real-time intelligence.
The parallel focus on high-value crops, allied activities, and post-harvest value creation is critical for exports. Global markets reward consistency, quality, and traceability, outcomes that depend on technology adoption across the value chain.
