With Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman set to present the Union Budget 2026-27 on Sunday, February 1, 2026, at 11 AM the first Sunday presentation in recent history industry leaders across geospatial technology, manufacturing, green energy, higher education, and related sectors are calling for accelerated implementation of ongoing initiatives and fresh fiscal support to drive India’s journey toward a $5 trillion economy and Viksit Bharat@2047.

Building on the National Geospatial Mission announced in Budget 2025 with an initial ₹100 crore allocation, experts emphasize the need for adequate funding to modernize geodetic frameworks, standardize data systems, and enable cross-ministerial programs. Manufacturing and paints/coatings sectors seek continued PLI momentum, raw material access, energy-efficient innovation, and supply-chain resilience to sustain rapid growth. Green energy priorities include deeper incentives for green hydrogen, storage, grid modernization, EV components, and carbon markets to mobilize private capital. Higher education leaders advocate increased allocations for research, interdisciplinary programs, design-led R&D, and industry-academia synergy aligned with NEP 2020. Commercial real estate and GCC expansion call for urban infrastructure, tax clarity, and green office incentives to support distributed growth.

Agendra Kumar, Managing Director, Esri India:

“Geospatial technologies are being recognized as critical technologies for national security, governance, and economic development. The announcement of the National Geospatial Mission in the Union Budget 2025 marked an important step towards strengthening India’s geospatial infrastructure and data ecosystem. This mission will support the modernization of geodetic frameworks, enhancing geospatial infrastructure, standardizing data systems, and promoting the adoption of emerging technologies. As the next step, the government must allocate adequate funds so that the roll-out of this program can gain speed and provide the data and infrastructure to support numerous other programs and initiatives of various ministries. Together, these efforts will move the country closer to the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.”

Sharad Malhotra, Managing Director, Nippon Paint (India) Group:

“India is a rising power, and we are at a critical phase of our growth journey. It took India 67 years from 1947 to 2014 to become a US$ 2 trillion economy and just 11 more years to double up again to become a US$ 4 trillion economy. Now the responsibility on all business leaders is to help India become a US$ 5 trillion economy in the next 2 years. Budget 2026 presents an opportunity to deepen this momentum by strengthening domestic production capabilities, improving supply-chain resilience and accelerating infrastructure-led productivity across sectors. Government initiatives such as PLI have laid a solid foundation for capacity expansion and localisation. The next phase should focus on access to quality raw materials, energy-efficient manufacturing and sustainability-led innovation, which are increasingly central to global competitiveness. For sectors such as paints and coatings, these measures can drive higher value creation and export readiness. A balanced, growth-oriented budget that boosts demand while promoting sustainability will further strengthen the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision and reinforce India’s journey to become the world’s third largest economy by 2028.”

Ajay Sethi, Managing Partner, Baker Tilly ASA India:

“With India positioning itself as a global manufacturing and innovation hub, the Union Budget should reinforce momentum in priority sectors such as electronics, semiconductors, aerospace, and defence. Targeted direct and indirect incentives can help attract long-term FDI and enable deeper technology collaborations in these critical areas. At a time when business sentiment remains resilient despite global geopolitical uncertainty, stability is key. Any changes to direct tax rates could unsettle confidence; maintaining the status quo would send a strong signal of policy continuity. While indirect tax rates need not be altered, procedural simplification in GST and customs is essential to further ease of doing business and reduce friction for enterprises. Finally, with new labour codes now operational, a robust check-and-balance mechanism is crucial. Overregulation at the inspection level can deter investment. A dedicated committee to monitor implementation and recommend course corrections over the next five years would help protect worker interests while sustaining investor confidence.”

Avinash Kumar, COO, DJT Microfinance:

“As we look toward Union Budget 2026, we anticipate a strategic focus on expanding affordable credit for MSMEs and the underserved. Microfinance institutions are the engine of rural demand; however, to scale effectively, we need a significant reduction in funding friction and the removal of operational bottlenecks. We call for dedicated refinance windows to lower costs for NBFCs and a simplified, extended MUDRA framework to ease balance sheet stress. Ultimately, aligning fiscal policy with RBI’s digital norms and streamlining compliance will be the key to fostering borrower trust and empowering low-income entrepreneurs.”

Vasudha Madhavan, Founder & CEO, Ostara Advisors:

“The Union Budget 2026 offers an important opportunity to advance India’s green energy transition, with expectations extending beyond renewable capacity expansion. There is hope for greater fiscal support for emerging areas such as green hydrogen, energy storage, grid modernisation, and industrial decarbonisation. It would also be encouraging to see a continued emphasis on electric mobility through more targeted subsidies, steady investment in public and urban charging infrastructure, and incentives that support domestic manufacturing of EV components and strengthen supply chains. Additionally, greater clarity and momentum around green finance frameworks, carbon markets, and sustainability-linked instruments would help mobilise private capital for the transition.”

Dr. Yajulu Medury, Vice Chancellor, Mahindra University:

“With the Indian higher education system re-positioning itself in sync with NEP 2020, we anticipate an increased allocation of funds in Union Budget 2026 to make universities centres of advanced research and innovation. This should translate to increased investment in emerging areas to foster holistic development and to facilitate better synergy between industry and academia.”

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Vice Chancellor, World University of Design:

“As India prepares for Budget 2026, my expectation would be for the higher education sector to be seen not merely as a social sector but as a strategic economic investment. The next phase of India’s growth will be driven by innovation, advanced manufacturing, creative industries and digital transformation. All of these depend on strong design and interdisciplinary education. We hope to see dedicated funding for design-led R&D, creative-technology labs, and industry-linked universities that translate knowledge into products, services and cultural exports. Supporting institutions that integrate design, technology, sustainability and entrepreneurship will help India move from being a cost-competitive economy to a globally competitive innovation economy.”

Dr. Anita Patankar, Executive Director, Symbiosis Dubai:

“As India approaches the Union Budget, there is a strong expectation that higher education will receive focused support aligned with global competitiveness. Increased investment in interdisciplinary learning, digital infrastructure, and faculty development will be critical to preparing students for rapidly evolving job markets. Support for international collaborations and mobility will further strengthen India’s academic influence worldwide. The Budget should also emphasise affordability, stronger industry–academia linkages, research-driven education and skill-based education so that Institutions can contribute meaningfully to employability, innovation, and the long-term growth of India’s knowledge economy.”

Hardeep Dayal, President – Commercial, Bhartiya Urban:

“The Union Budget 2026 presents a timely opportunity to further strengthen India’s commercial real estate and office leasing momentum, which has been driven by strong occupier confidence and sustained demand across major business hubs. Beyond growth numbers, there is hope for targeted policy measures that ease leasing-related compliance, provide greater tax clarity for both occupiers and developers, and support GCC offshoring momentum and office ecosystem growth. It would also be encouraging to see continued investment in urban infrastructure, last-mile connectivity, and transit-oriented development, as these directly influence location attractiveness and leasing decisions. Additionally, incentives for green, energy-efficient and tech-enabled office assets and encouraging participation in REITs would help channel long-term institutional & retail capital into the sector and support India’s dominance as a globally competitive office market.”

Monica Pirgal, CEO, Bhartiya Converge:

“As GCCs expand beyond metro clusters, Budget 2026 is an opportunity to further strengthen India’s infrastructure backbone that supports distributed, global operations. Continued investments in urban mobility, digital infrastructure, and resilient power and data ecosystems can reinforce India’s readiness for the next phase of GCC growth. This progress will enable enterprises to scale with confidence.”

These expert perspectives converge on a unified call for the Union Budget 2026 to prioritize funding execution (geospatial, green energy, higher education), policy stability (tax continuity, compliance simplification), strategic incentives (manufacturing, R&D, sustainability), and infrastructure investment to sustain economic momentum, attract FDI, and advance India’s $5 trillion goal while aligning with global competitiveness and self-reliance.

Last Updated on: Friday, January 23, 2026 5:44 pm by Pioneer Today Team | Published by: Pioneer Today Team on Friday, January 23, 2026 5:44 pm | News Categories: News

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