Free LPG Cylinder: The budget was presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 1 February 2026. Where he gave information about the schemes in the budget for people coming from different sections. So the interests of women were also especially taken care of. Even today, there are many women in the country who cook food with wood on earthen stoves.

To give them relief from this problem, a separate amount was allocated in the budget for free cylinders. In Budget 2026-27, separate resources were earmarked for providing LPG to poor families. Know who will benefit from this government scheme and how.

What changed for LPG in the budget?

This time in the budget, a provision of Rs 9200 crore has been made to provide LPG connections to poor households. This amount has been kept to further strengthen the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. With this, Rs 1500 crore has been earmarked for direct benefit transfer. So that the assistance reaches directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. The government is taking care that there should not be any financial hindrance for poor needy women in getting LPG connections. Let us tell you that deposit free connection is given under the scheme. Due to which the initial expense becomes almost zero.

How to get benefit from Ujjwala Yojana?

So far, more than 10.41 crore families have got LPG connections under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. After the new budget provision, the target is to increase this number further. In this scheme, beneficiaries get essential items like cylinder, regulator, pipe, stove and installation without pre-payment. So in many states the first refill is also given free. Apart from this, the benefit of subsidy on cylinder refill is also available. Due to which the cost of filling gas later becomes less. With this, poor families are able to easily use LPG.

What is the application process?

If your house does not yet have LPG connection and you fall in the economically weaker section. So the benefit of this scheme can be taken. For this, you can apply online on the official website of Ujjwala Yojana or go to the nearest LPG distributor and submit the form. Documents like Aadhar card, address proof and necessary declaration form have to be given. The whole process is quite easy. After completion of the application, the connection is available immediately.

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Union Budget 2026-27: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is going to present the Union Budget on Sunday, February 1, 2026, at 11 am. In such a situation, the eyes of millions of investors and taxpayers of the country are fixed on this budget, because the relief provided by it will have a direct impact on their pockets. This will be Nirmala Sitharaman’s ninth consecutive full-time budget and she will present the budget for the first time on Sunday.

From middle class to salaried class, from farmers to women, all sections have great expectations regarding the Union Budget.

What are the expectations from the budget?

Property and Home Loan

On one hand, while property prices are increasing and the loan burden on people has also increased, home buyers are demanding tax relief. Their main demand is to increase the tax exemption on home loans. At present, the limit of exemption on interest under Section 24(b) of the Income Tax Act is Rs 2 lakh, which was fixed several years ago and is considered inadequate in the current circumstances.

Apart from this, Pranav Kumar, Founder and CEO of Plus Cash, says that in Budget 2026-27, emphasis can be laid on promoting tax saving and long term investment. In this, it is expected to increase the standard deduction, simplify the tax slab, provide additional relief related to housing loan and insurance.

Health

According to a report by Bajaj Broking, the scope of health services in the country is continuously increasing and it can be further expanded in Budget 2026. Under this, the scope of health insurance schemes can be expanded to cover more people and for long-term treatment.

However, the report also warns that while on one hand this will give a positive boost to the health sector, on the other hand, providing services at government rates may put pressure on the profits of private hospitals.

capital expenditure

Broking firm Anand Rathi believes that during the financial year 2026-27, the government will proceed on the path of existing reforms and there is little possibility of any major or surprising decision in the budget. According to the firm, in the budget the government can increase capital expenditure (capex) by about 13 percent on an annual basis to Rs 12.6 trillion. At the same time, the Capex-to-GDP ratio is estimated to be around 3.2 percent.

It is noteworthy that in the Economic Survey report presented a day earlier on Thursday, India’s GDP growth rate for the financial year 2026-27 has been estimated to be in the range of 6.8 percent to 7.2 percent. Furthermore, the real average domestic product (GDP) growth rate for FY 2026 is estimated at 7.4 percent and gross value added (GVA) at 7.3 percent.

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Budget 2026-27: There has been a decline in residential sales in the top eight major cities of the country during the year 2025. According to data from real estate advisory company PropTiger, a total of 3,86,365 residential units were sold in these cities in 2025, which is about 12 percent less than the 4,36,992 units recorded in 2024. Increasing caution of buyers, high prices and impact of interest rates are considered to be the main reasons behind this decline. However, this situation does not indicate the end of demand, rather it shows that buyers are now taking decisions more thoughtfully than before.

Decline in sales of residential homes

However, major cities of South India have performed better during this recession. Residential sales in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai are expected to grow by 15 percent to more than 1.33 lakh units during 2025. In these cities, IT and service sector jobs, stable income and availability of affordable and mid-segment housing strengthened the demand. Apart from this, a slight increase in residential sales was also recorded in Kolkata, while sales have declined in big markets like Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Delhi-NCR, Pune and Ahmedabad.

Omkar S., Executive Director, Aurum Proptech. According to , the year 2025 should be considered a year of recombination rather than decline in demand. He says that developers adopted a balanced strategy by controlling the supply, due to which the prices remained stable despite the low sales. This makes it clear that despite market volatility, the real estate sector remains fundamentally strong.

Expecting big decisions

There are positive expectations in the real estate sector regarding the upcoming Union Budget. Industry experts believe that if the budget increases the tax exemption limit on home loans, gives relief in stamp duty and encourages affordable and mid-income housing, then housing demand can get a new impetus. Along with this, increased investment in urban infrastructure, roads, metro and connectivity projects is expected to provide long-term support to the real estate sector.

The real estate industry believes that policy stability and simple approval processes can play an important role in increasing investor confidence. According to experts, a balanced and visionary budget will not only bring relief to home buyers but will also create new opportunities for developers and investors, which can strengthen the growth of the real estate sector in the coming years.

What do experts say?

Experts associated with the real estate sector believe that policy stability and clarity will further strengthen investor confidence, which can boost domestic as well as foreign investment. He says if approval processes are simplified and reforms like single-window clearance are implemented, timely delivery of projects will be ensured and costs for developers will also be reduced. This will increase transparency in the entire sector and provide long-term strength to the market.

Neeraj K, Executive Director of Ganga Realty. Mishra says that the real estate sector plays an important role in the economic progress of the country and he expects practical relief from the upcoming budget. According to him, increasing the tax deduction limit on home loans and giving additional incentives to affordable housing will strengthen end-user demand. Additionally, continued focus on infrastructure development will create new employment opportunities and sustain the growth of the sector. A balanced and visionary budget can open doors to new possibilities for real estate.

At the same time, Saransh Trehan, Managing Director of Trehan Group, believes that mid-income and affordable housing needs to be given priority in the budget. He said that relief in stamp duty and simplification of approval processes will speed up the pace of projects. Also, increased investment in urban infrastructure and connectivity will support real estate demand in the long run and further strengthen home buyer confidence.

Union Budget 2026-27: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget for the financial year 2026-27 on 1 February. This time, there will be many important challenges before him in the budget, in which expansion of medical infrastructure and providing treatment to the common people at concessional rates can be the main issues. Government expenditure on health is still very low in most developing countries, including India, compared to developed countries, even though better health services are the foundation of any strong economy.

It is clear from the World Bank’s 2022 report that there is a big difference between countries in terms of expenditure on health. America spends about 17 to 18 percent of its GDP on health services, which comes to about 12 to 13 thousand dollars per person. However, the public health system there is weak and dependence on the private sector is high. Japan spends 10 to 11 percent of its GDP on the medical sector, where per capita spending ranges from $4,500 to $5,000 and public health services are considered very strong.

How much is spent on medical treatment in which country in the world?

Russia spends about 5 to 6 percent of its GDP on health, with per capita spending between $800 and $1,000, but there is inequality in the quality of services. China has rapidly increased investment in health infrastructure in the last decade and spends 6 to 7 percent of GDP on the medical sector, bringing per capita spending to $700 to $900.

In comparison, India spends only 3 to 4 percent of GDP on health and the per capita expenditure is only between 100 to 200 dollars. However, efforts are being made to gradually improve the situation through schemes like Ayushman Bharat.

Country	GDP expenditure on health (%)	Per Capita Health Expenditures (USD)
America	16.8%	12,000
Japan	11	4,150
Russia	5.3	1,474
China	5.0	731
India	3.6	209

How was India’s last medical budget?

Talking about previous budgets, the government has increased focus on digital health, medical infrastructure, domestic production and affordable medicines. In the budget for the financial year 2025-26, about Rs 1 lakh crore was allocated for the Health Ministry, which was about 11 percent more than the previous year. In this, expansion of Ayushman Bharat, exemption in custom duty on cancer medicines, establishment of new medical colleges and additional funds for institutions like National Health Mission and AIIMS were announced.

When and how much is spent on the budget in India?

Year	Health Budget (Rs crore)
2022-23	86,606
2023-24	88,956
2024-25	90 thousand crores
2025-26	99,858.56

What do experts say

Regarding the Medical Budget 2026-27, experts believe that the share of GDP on health should be further increased. According to Dr. Sharad Aggarwal, former president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), health expenditure should be clearly shown under different heads in the budget, so that it can be known how much is being spent on infrastructure development and how much is going on salaries and other administrative items. He says that it is very important to pay special attention to infrastructure development.

Dr. Aggarwal also suggested that medicines, medical equipment and surgical products should be taken out of the purview of GST, so that the cost of treatment can be reduced. Along with this, relief should also be given in the customs duty imposed on medical equipment. He said that just as tax exemption is given on life insurance, similarly health insurance should also be promoted by giving additional tax exemption.

He believes that after Covid-19, there has been improvement in the medical infrastructure in the country, but a lot of work still remains to be done in remote areas. There is a need to focus on the quality and availability of ambulance services, oxygen plants, solar panels, generators, operation theatres, ventilators and other essential equipment. Many ventilators installed during the Covid period are lying defective today because their quality was not good. Therefore, it is important that there is strict monitoring of expenditure under the health budget and an independent, impartial body can check its implementation and quality.

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Union Budget 2026-27: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget for the financial year 2026-27 on 1 February. This time, there will be many important challenges before him in the budget, in which expansion of medical infrastructure and providing treatment to the common people at concessional rates can be the main issues. Government expenditure on health is still very low in most developing countries, including India, compared to developed countries, even though better health services are the foundation of any strong economy.

It is clear from the World Bank’s 2022 report that there is a big difference between countries in terms of expenditure on health. America spends about 17 to 18 percent of its GDP on health services, which comes to about 12 to 13 thousand dollars per person. However, the public health system there is weak and dependence on the private sector is high. Japan spends 10 to 11 percent of its GDP on the medical sector, where per capita spending ranges from $4,500 to $5,000 and public health services are considered very strong.

How much is spent on medical treatment in which country in the world?

Russia spends about 5 to 6 percent of its GDP on health, with per capita spending between $800 and $1,000, but there is inequality in the quality of services. China has rapidly increased investment in health infrastructure in the last decade and spends 6 to 7 percent of GDP on the medical sector, bringing per capita spending to $700 to $900.

In comparison, India spends only 3 to 4 percent of GDP on health and the per capita expenditure is only between 100 to 200 dollars. However, efforts are being made to gradually improve the situation through schemes like Ayushman Bharat.

Country	GDP expenditure on health (%)	Per Capita Health Expenditures (USD)
America	16.8%	12,000
Japan	11	4,150
Russia	5.3	1,474
China	5.0	731
India	3.6	209

How was India’s last medical budget?

Talking about previous budgets, the government has increased focus on digital health, medical infrastructure, domestic production and affordable medicines. In the budget for the financial year 2025-26, about Rs 1 lakh crore was allocated for the Health Ministry, which was about 11 percent more than the previous year. In this, expansion of Ayushman Bharat, exemption in custom duty on cancer medicines, establishment of new medical colleges and additional funds for institutions like National Health Mission and AIIMS were announced.

When and how much is spent on the budget in India?

Year	Health Budget (Rs crore)
2022-23	86,606
2023-24	88,956
2024-25	90 thousand crores
2025-26	99,858.56

What do experts say

Regarding the Medical Budget 2026-27, experts believe that the share of GDP on health should be further increased. According to Dr. Sharad Aggarwal, former president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), health expenditure should be clearly shown under different heads in the budget, so that it can be known how much is being spent on infrastructure development and how much is going on salaries and other administrative items. He says that it is very important to pay special attention to infrastructure development.

Dr. Aggarwal also suggested that medicines, medical equipment and surgical products should be taken out of the purview of GST, so that the cost of treatment can be reduced. Along with this, relief should also be given in the customs duty imposed on medical equipment. He said that just as tax exemption is given on life insurance, similarly health insurance should also be promoted by giving additional tax exemption.

He believes that after Covid-19, there has been improvement in the medical infrastructure in the country, but a lot of work still remains to be done in remote areas. There is a need to focus on the quality and availability of ambulance services, oxygen plants, solar panels, generators, operation theatres, ventilators and other essential equipment. Many ventilators installed during the Covid period are lying defective today because their quality was not good. Therefore, it is important that there is strict monitoring of expenditure under the health budget and an independent, impartial body can check its implementation and quality.

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Defense Budget 2025: It is believed that the foreign policy of any country is as strong as its defense system. A country which has strong military and security capabilities can present its interests on the international stage without any pressure. This is the reason why today almost all the big countries of the world are spending heavily on their defense budget.

America has proposed to increase its defense budget to $ 1.5 trillion for the year 2027, which is about 50 percent more than earlier estimates. At the same time, India’s neighbor China is also continuously increasing its military expenditure. In the financial year 2025-26, China spent about $ 245 billion on defense budget.

India’s defense expenditure: position against GDP

If we look at the trend of India’s defense expenditure in the last 15 years, there is a continuous decline in its ratio to GDP. Defense expenditure in 2010-11 was 2.71% of GDP.

In 2015-16 it was 2.41%

2.88% in 2020-21

2.21% in 2022-23

1.97% in 2023-24

1.89% in 2024-25

It will reduce to around 1.90% in 2025-26. These figures clearly indicate that despite increasing global tensions, India’s defense expenditure is becoming limited in proportion to GDP.

financial year	What share of GDP is spent on the budget in percentage?
2015-16	2.41
2020-21	2.88
2022-23	2.21
2023-24	1.97
2024-25	1.89

Rising global tensions and India’s strategy

Today the global situation is extremely unstable. The wars in Iran, Venezuela, Ukraine and the ongoing tension in the Middle East have deepened the security challenges. In such a situation, the question arises that what strategy should India adopt regarding defense expenditure in Budget 2026? Manish Kumar Gupta, expert in economic matters It is said that now investment in defense sector is not limited to just GDP, employment or trade. This has directly become a measure of India’s strategic power and global influence.

When India exports defense equipment, it not only sells arms, but also establishes itself among the powerful countries of the world. The issue of a strong defense exporting country is heard more seriously in international forums.

Defense sector and economic development

According to Manish Gupta, the confidence expressed by IMF and World Bank regarding India’s growth rate is also largely related to the defense sector. Defense is a high-value manufacturing sector, which integrates technology, MSME and skill development. This reduces imports, increases exports and has a positive impact on the current account balance. At present, the contribution of defense sector in GDP is about 2 percent, which can be taken to 2.5 percent with right policies.

Necessary reforms and challenges

However, some tough decisions are necessary for this.

Transparency in defense procurement process

Control on the problem of ‘lobbying’ and repeated cancellations in the tender system

Share of indigenous products up to 75 percent in army procurement

Cheap loans to MSMEs and guarantee of timely payment

Without these reforms, the idea of ​​a self-reliant defense industry will remain incomplete.

The nature of war has changed

Manish Gupta says that today’s fight is more about data, artificial intelligence and cyber technology than cannon balls. Therefore, special emphasis should be given to AI, cyber security and cutting-edge technology in Budget 2026.

Although defense exports have increased manifold and the target is to reach Rs 50 thousand crore, there is still a huge gap between announcements and ground implementation.

Focus on Air Force and basic industry necessary

There itself Defense expert and retired wing commander Prafulla Bakshi Believes that India will have to pay maximum attention to the Air Force, because the role of Air Force is most important in deciding the beginning and direction of modern war. According to him, it is very important to increase investment on research and development.

Prafulla Bakshi also says that India’s biggest weakness is its basic industrial capacity. Unless the national industry is strong, the defense industry also cannot be strong.

Today India is not able to make many important things like metal-grade engines itself. If we depend on other countries for weapons during war, we will not be able to fight for a long time. Therefore, it is essential to strengthen indigenous industry and manufacturing for long-term security.

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Defense Budget 2026-27: The eyes of the entire country are currently fixed on the Union Budget to be presented on 1 February. However, considering the current global situation, the defense sector has emerged as a big challenge for India, which is moving towards becoming the world’s third largest economy. Today almost every country is increasing its defense budget drastically.

US President Donald Trump has announced a defense budget of 1.5 trillion dollars (about Rs 13.48 lakh crore) for the year 2027, which is more than the total GDP of many countries. This represents an increase of approximately $500 billion in America’s defense spending. This increase is more than the combined defense budget of India, China, Japan, South Korea and Australia (estimated at $473 billion in 2026).

Defense budget of major countries in 2025-26

During the financial year 2025-26, China made a big increase in its defense budget to $ 245 billion. Whereas India’s defense budget was 81 billion dollars (about Rs 6.81 lakh crore). During the same period, Japan’s defense budget was $58 billion, Australia’s was $44 billion and South Korea’s was $45 billion.

In view of global geopolitical tensions and China’s increasing military expenditure, India’s defense budget is also expected to increase in the upcoming budget.

Defense budget increased two and a half times in last 10 years

In the last decade, India’s defense budget has registered an increase of about two and a half times. The government had allocated a defense budget of Rs 6.6 lakh crore for the financial year 2025-26, of which Rs 1.8 lakh crore was earmarked for the modernization of the army. This was about 1.9 percent of the country’s GDP, which was about 9.5 percent more than last year.

financial year	lakh crore (in rupees)	What is the % increase in GDP?
2025-26	6.81	1.9
2024-25	6.21	1.89
2023-24	5.93	1.97
2022-23	5.25	2.21
2021-22	4.78	2.66
2020-21	4.71	2.88
2019-20	4.31	2.52
2018-19	4.04	2.42
2017-18	3.59	2.51

If we look at the figures of past years:

• 2024-25: Rs 6.21 lakh crore
• 2023-24: Rs 5.93 lakh crore
• 2022-23: Rs 5.25 lakh crore
• 2021-22: Rs 4.78 lakh crore
• 2020-21: Rs 4.71 lakh crore
• 2019-20: Rs 4.31 lakh crore
• 2018-19: Rs 4.04 lakh crore
• 2017-18: Rs 3.59 lakh crore

Expert opinion: Emphasis on defense self-reliance is necessary

Defense expert and retired Wing Commander Prafulla Bakshi says that while discussing the defense budget, the security of the country is paramount. He said that India is currently surrounded by challenges from all sides, which include the China-Pakistan alliance, the situation in Bangladesh and the increasing tension in the South China Sea.

He further said that the situation in areas like America, Iran and Venezuela is also becoming serious, due to which India’s defense needs will increase further. In such a situation, self-reliance in defense production under ‘Make in India’ is very important.

According to Bakshi, for modern war, indigenous production of sophisticated weapons like tanks, fighter aircraft, engines, missiles and ammunition is necessary. Along with this, there is a need to increase expenditure on defense research and development (R&D). He suggested that India should seriously consider increasing defense spending to 3.5 to 5 percent of GDP, as many developed countries are doing.

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Budget 2026: The Union Finance Minister presents the Union Budget in Parliament every year, in which a detailed outline of the government’s income and expenditure for the upcoming financial year is presented. In simple words, the budget tells how the government will earn money in the next financial year and on which items it will be spent. Along with this, the structure of taxes is decided in the budget, due to which the general public, industry and business world are directly affected.

Before preparing this budget, the Finance Ministry consults with other ministries, industry organizations, representatives of the corporate world and various stakeholders. Constitutionally, the provision of budget is made under Article 112, which is called Annual Financial Statement. It contains complete details of the estimated income and expenditure of the Central Government for a financial year, along with how much budget has been allocated to each ministry, how much has been spent so far and how much additional amount is required for the remaining period.

A lot of expectations from the budget this year?

In the budget to be presented on February 1 for the financial year 2026-27, the government can take many important steps to boost the economy. In this, special emphasis is likely to be given on capital expenditure (capex) with the aim of accelerating infrastructure development. Apart from this, measures related to employment generation, promotion of manufacturing sector, relief for MSMEs, green energy and strengthening the digital economy can also be included in the major priorities of the budget. Let us today tell you about some interesting questions related to the budget and their answers, knowing about which you will be surprised.

Where did the word ‘budget’ come from?

The word ‘budget’ comes from the French word ‘boujet’, which means a small leather bag or briefcase, which was originally used to keep financial documents. This is the reason why earlier one used to bring a leather bag to present the budget.

Why is the budget presented every time on 1st February?

The Union Budget is presented every year on 1 February so that there is enough time to implement proposed laws or changes before the new financial year starts from 1 April. Another reason for this is to give enough time to the government to prepare and complete financial plans and economic strategies for the entire year.

What is the Halwa ceremony before the Budget?

A tradition that has been followed for a long time before the presentation of the Union Budget is the ‘Halwa Ceremony’. As part of this ritual, the Finance Minister usually makes halwa in a big pan, which is then distributed among all the employees of the Finance Ministry. This is also a major signal of the start of budget preparations, after which, for some time before the budget presentation, more than 100 employees and officers remain in the North Block, where the budget printing work is carried out. During this period, these employees remain completely cut off from the outside world.

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Why is the general budget presented only on 1 February? Know the whole story behind changing date and time