The Union Budget 2026-27, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1, 2026, reinforces India’s push toward Viksit Bharat through Yuva Shakti-driven growth, sustained public capital expenditure of ₹12.2 lakh crore, fiscal discipline (4.3% deficit target), and targeted reforms for MSMEs, women-led enterprises, agriculture, and manufacturing. Key highlights include the launch of Self-Help Entrepreneur (SHE) Marts for women SHG entrepreneurs, Bharat-VISTAAR (a multilingual AI tool for agricultural advisory), girls’ hostels in every district, mandatory use of TReDS for MSME liquidity linked with GeM, and a ₹10,000 crore SME Growth Fund to scale small businesses.
Industry leaders have welcomed these measures as structural enablers for inclusion, productivity, and global competitiveness. Here are insightful reactions from prominent founders and executives:
Empowering MSMEs, Women Entrepreneurs, and Ease of Doing Business
The budget’s focus on MSME support, SHE Marts as community-owned retail platforms for women self-help groups, e-commerce export simplification, and value addition initiatives aims to boost domestic and export-led growth.
Tarun Joshi, Founder & CEO, IGP & Join Ventures, highlighted the empowerment angle:
“The Union Budget 2026–27 places strong emphasis on strengthening MSMEs, women-led enterprises and ease of doing business are key pillars for India’s domestic and export-led growth. Initiatives such as support for Self-Help Entrepreneur (SHE) Marts, enhanced focus on value addition, and measures to simplify e-commerce exports reflect a clear intent to empower small businesses and artisans. The continued push towards productivity, inclusion and market access will help consumer-facing enterprises participate more meaningfully in India’s growth journey.”
Digitizing Agriculture and Boosting Startup Scaling
Bharat-VISTAAR, an AI-powered multilingual tool integrating AgriStack and ICAR practices for customized farmer advisory, alongside massive infrastructure outlay and TReDS-GeM linkage for MSME liquidity, supports tech-driven agri value chains and digital-first brands.
Anant Goel, Founder and CEO, Handpickd, described it as a roadmap for a technology-driven economy:
“The Union Budget 2026-27 provides a definitive roadmap for a technology-driven economy, prioritizing Bharat-VISTAAR as a catalyst for digitizing the national agricultural value chain. With a ₹12.2 lakh crore infrastructure outlay, the budget builds the foundational trust and logistics required for high-growth startups to scale efficiently. Furthermore, mandating TReDS as the benchmark for MSME liquidity and linking it with GeM addresses critical systemic frictions in the supply chain. This fiscal strategy signals a bold leap in India’s technological advancement, empowering the next generation of digital-first brands to lead the nation’s journey toward a Viksit Bharat.”
Strengthening Manufacturing and Global Supply Chains
Continued capex thrust, MSME enablement, automation incentives, deep-tech adoption, and the goal to raise manufacturing’s GDP contribution to 25% position India as a high-value production hub.
Nikhil Nanda, Founder and MD of JHS Svendgaard Laboratories Ltd., noted the ‘Nation First’ vision:
“The Union Budget reflects a clear ‘Nation First’ vision by strengthening India’s manufacturing foundations while positioning the country firmly within global supply chains. The continued focus on capital expenditure, MSME enablement, and technology-led industrial growth signals a decisive shift from assembly-driven manufacturing to high-value, innovation-led production.
By reinforcing policies that encourage automation, deep-tech adoption, and scale, the Budget empowers Indian enterprises to compete globally rather than merely participate. The aspiration to raise manufacturing’s contribution to GDP to 25% is both timely and necessary, and if executed well, will accelerate India’s journey toward becoming a $1 trillion manufacturing economy and a trusted global production hub.”
Advancing Women’s Economic Participation and Safety
The creation of SHE Marts for community-owned retail, girls’ hostels in every district to improve access and safety for women in education and employment, and a shift toward institution-building reflect a structural approach to women’s empowerment.
Jagriti Motwani, Trustee at Shakti Bharat Mission, emphasized the infrastructure focus:
“When nearly 60 percent of India’s women cite safety and access as the reason they drop out of education or work, empowerment stops being a slogan and becomes an infrastructure problem. The Union Budget 2026 finally addresses that gap.
The shift from women as beneficiaries to women as builders of the economy is evident in deliberate policy choices. The creation of SHE Marts as community-owned platforms reflects a hard truth those of us working on women’s upliftment have long known, livelihoods do not scale on intent alone, they scale on last mile systems.
Equally consequential is the commitment to women’s hostels in every district. For young women entering STEM, manufacturing, and formal employment, safety and proximity are the single biggest determinants of participation. Solve for these, and aspiration converts into action.
This Budget steps away from short-term relief and toward institution building. It backs women-led growth with stability, not symbolism. It understands that equity is not accelerated through urgency, but earned through patient, structural investment.”
Enhancing Agri Productivity and Export Ecosystem
The Bharat-VISTAAR initiative for AI-enabled advisory, risk reduction, and productivity gains strengthens agriculture and supports export-oriented sectors.
Vipin Sharma, Executive Director, Elitecon International, welcomed the agri focus:
“The Union Budget 2026–27 reinforces India’s focus on fiscal discipline, structural reforms and strengthening domestic manufacturing capacity.
Its emphasis on the new Bharat-VISTAAR initiative is a timely and impactful step. Our agricultural sector will benefit from leveraging AI-enabled advisory systems to support farmers with better insights, reduce risk and improve productivity. This strengthening of our agri and export ecosystem will be beneficial.”
The Union Budget 2026-27 delivers a balanced, reform-oriented blueprint that prioritizes inclusion, innovation, and execution across MSMEs, women empowerment, agriculture digitization, and manufacturing scale-up. These industry reactions underscore its potential to drive sustainable, equitable growth toward a developed India by 2047.
Last Updated on: Tuesday, February 3, 2026 10:33 am by Indian News Bulletin Team | Published by: Indian News Bulletin Team on Tuesday, February 3, 2026 10:33 am | News Categories: News
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