The Union Budget 2026 signals a multi-sector
push towards workforce readiness, domestic manufacturing and inclusive rural
growth, with education, renewable energy, textiles and the cooperative dairy
sector emerging as key pillars of the government’s long-term economic strategy.
The cooperative dairy and animal husbandry sector has
received a significant boost under the Budget, according to Dr
Meenesh Shah, Chairman, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).
“The initiatives would enhance farmers’
incomes, promote entrepreneurship in animal husbandry and dairying and
strengthen cooperatives, a key step toward realising the vision of Viksit
Bharat 2047. Tax relief for cooperatives was another highlight. The extension
of full deduction benefits to cattle feed, would significantly reduce their tax
burden, ensuring better returns for farmer members,” Dr Shah said.
Also highlighting opportunities in digital infrastructure, Mr
Rushabh Dedhia, Managing Director, JIKA EPC Services Limited, said,
“India’s data centre capacity may rise five-fold to 8 GW by 2030, with the
Budget sending a strong signal on India’s intent to emerge as a global hub for
data centre infrastructure. The proposed tax holiday till 2047 for foreign
cloud service providers using data centres based in India significantly
improves long-term investment visibility and positions the country as a
competitive destination for hyperscale capacity, which is expected to
accelerate investment momentum and strengthen India’s position in the
Asia-Pacific. He added that the creation of more data centres is expected to
spur allied investments in power, including renewables, real estate and optical
fibre infrastructure.”
On the manufacturing and sustainability front, Mr
Ronak Chiripal, Promoter, Chiripal Group, said the Budget had taken a
pragmatic approach to strengthening domestic capacity in clean energy.
“The Union Budget has taken a pragmatic step
towards strengthening India’s clean energy manufacturing ecosystem, with
targeted customs duty exemptions that support energy transition and security.”
“Extending the basic customs duty exemption to
capital goods used in Lithium-ion cells for battery energy storage systems will
help accelerate domestic capacity creation in grid-scale storage while
exemptions on key inputs such as sodium antimonate support localisation in the
solar value chain,” he added.
Highlighting the textile sector, Mr
Ronak Chiripal said the Budget provided long-awaited policy clarity.
“The Union Budget 2026 provides a clear policy
roadmap for the labour-intensive textile sector, with a welcome focus on fibre
self-reliance, cluster modernisation and sustainability. The proposed
integrated programme covering natural and man-made fibres, technology
upgradation in traditional clusters, targeted support for handlooms and
handicrafts, and the Tex-Eco initiative addresses long-standing structural gaps
and also aids in improving India’s export competitiveness.”
In the education sector, the
Budget’s emphasis on linking learning outcomes to employability has been widely
welcomed.
Shri Rishabh Jain, President, Swarrnim Startup
and Innovation University, said, “The Union Budget 2026 proposes several important measures to
strengthen the education-to-employment pipeline by recognising services and
skills as core drivers of India’s growth story. The proposal to set up a
high-powered ‘Education to Employment and Enterprise’ Standing Committee,
noting that it reflects “a structured approach to aligning curricula with
industry needs, particularly in emerging areas such as AI, services exports and
technology-led jobs.”
