The Union Budget 2025 outlines a transformative agenda that addresses our economy’s immediate needs while paving the way for a sustainable future. This budget reflects our government’s commitment to the common man of India, ensuring that every citizen can thrive in a rapidly evolving landscape. The government’s strategic planning for this budget reflects a deep understanding of the challenges faced by our society. The proposed development measures in the Budget 2025 span broad areas focusing on enabling employment-led development, investing in people, economy and innovation, and taking everyone together on an inclusive growth plan.
Discussing about the budget, Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Hon’ble Minister of State (I/C), Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and Minister of State, Ministry of Education, Govt. of India said “The Union Budget 2025 reflects a forward-looking vision that not only strengthens economic growth through tax reforms but also prioritizes key sectors driving India’s future. From enhancing Kisan Credit Card limits and boosting cotton productivity to empowering startups and MSMEs through credit guarantees, these measures will accelerate entrepreneurship and rural prosperity. The focus on deep tech funding, AI-driven education, and five Centers of Excellence in skills underscores India’s commitment to a future-ready workforce. Additionally, expanding medical education, strengthening cancer care at district hospitals, and ensuring social security for gig workers demonstrate a balanced approach to inclusive development. This Budget paves the way for a more skilled, resilient, and self-reliant India.”
The govt. is prioritizing inclusive growth, with targeted measures that uplift underprivileged communities, empower women, and support our farmers. It is also a big win for the individual taxpayers as they provide strength to the economy and to recognise their contribution, the government has provided relaxation to the middle class by exempting tax on income up to Rs. 12 lakh.
There has been commendable focus on Skilling and Education in the Union Budget 2025. From nourishing children & mothers with Saksham Anganwadi & Poshan 2.0, to fostering innovation with 50k Atal Tinkering Labs, boosting digital learning with BharatNet & language resources, and strengthening skill development & IITs this has been a truly transformative budget for our future.
National Centres of Excellence for Skilling
The government will set-up five National Centres of Excellence for Skilling with global expertise and partnerships to equip youth with skills required for “Make for India, Make for the World” initiative, focusing on curriculum design, trainer training, and a robust skills certification framework.
National Framework for Global Capability Centres (GCC)
A national framework will guide states in promoting Global Capability Centres in tier 2 cities, enhancing talent availability and infrastructure while facilitating industry collaboration.
Fund of Funds for Startups
With a corpus of Rs 10,000 crore, our Fund of Funds for Startups will nurture over 1.5 lakh recognized startups, providing crucial capital across various stages and reducing reliance on foreign funding.
Centre of Excellence in AI for Education
The govt. are also establishing a Centre of Excellence in AI for Education with an investment of Rs. 500 crores to revolutionize learning accessibility.
Employment-led Growth Initiatives
To drive employment-led growth, we will implement intensive skill development programs and provide Mudra loans for home stays, enhance travel connectivity, and offer performance-linked incentives to states.
Skilling emerges as a cornerstone across all these initiatives, reinforcing the government’s commitment to fostering an environment where every individual has the opportunity to develop their skills, contribute meaningfully to the economy, and uplift their communities. The initiatives outlined include the scheme to establish India as a global hub for toys and support for 5 lakh first-time women, SC, and ST entrepreneurs, focusing on online capacity building and entrepreneurship training. Additionally, the ‘Rural Prosperity and Resilience’ program aims to combat underemployment in agriculture by providing targeted skilling and investment, empowering rural communities to thrive locally.
So, this budget is not merely about fiscal allocations; it lays a foundation for inclusive growth and sustainable development. As India strives towards becoming a ‘Viksit Bharat’, it is vital to foster an environment where every Indian can realize their potential and contribute to India’s progress and the possibilities that lie ahead.
Mr. CS Setty, Chairman, SBI, on the Union Budget 2025-26
“The Union Budget reaffirms India as an innovation and knowledge centric economy with a slew of reforms across agriculture, MSME, export centricity, education and healthcare and balancing skills and AI. The rationalisation of personal tax reforms could unleash a potential consumption boom of at least Rs 3.3 trillion spend over baseline. The fiscal numbers are conservative. The budget has several bold initiatives for Agri sector aimed at boosting farmers income through crop diversification, participation in Agri value chains and focus on allied activities. The MSME sector will benefit from expanded credit availability through credit guarantees, empowering women entrepreneurs and credit cards for micro enterprises. The enhancement of TCS limit on remittances, the enhancement of TDS limits for senior citizens will significantly simplify ease of doing business. Overall, the Budget is a significant step towards making India a global hub for innovation and advanced manufacturing.”
Mr Harshavardhan Neotia, Chairman Ambuja Neotia Group:
The budget proposals of finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has provided the vision of a new India story, with a governance that is light touch and trusting, a regulatory regime that is encouraging for industry and policies that are focused on job creation.
The incentives for hotels, travel and tourism are really encouraging as it helps building hotels in key 50 destinations and allows benefits on funding from the infrastructure HML. The built-in collaboration with state governments in the design of the policy will help speed up these developments. There are many other boosters for the tourism eco-system in the budget proposals, including easing regulations on e-visa or providing more impetus to the Udaan Scheme, incentives to spiritual tourism and medical tourism.
Overall I see a growth and consumption oriented budget with more money left in the hands of the consumers through tax cuts which will help consumer oriented sectors.
Mr. Alok Garodia, Managing Director, Jupiter International
“Today’s Budget reinforces the government’s commitment to sustainable growth and clean technology manufacturing, with a decisive push for self-reliance in renewable energy through a new clean tech mission under Make in India. This initiative will be instrumental in building a strong domestic ecosystem for solar manufacturing, reducing import dependency, and positioning India as a global leader in renewable energy. Jupiter International fully supports this vision and remains committed to expanding solar manufacturing in alignment with the country’s clean energy goals.”
Mr Mahesh Agarwal, Managing Director, Purti Realty :
We, at Purti Realty, commend the government’s progressive stance in simplifying tax benefits for self-occupied properties in this year’s budget. The decision to allow the annual value of a self-occupied property to be considered nil, without stringent conditions, is a much-needed relief for homeowners. Additionally, raising the tax exemption limit to Rs 12 lakh empowers the middle class, the backbone of India’s housing market, by enhancing disposable income and encouraging homeownership. Furthermore, the government’s support to states with a Rs 1.5 lakh crore, 50-year, interest-free loan for capital expenditure and reforms will accelerate infrastructure growth. The launch of the Rs 10 lakh crore Asset Monetization Plan (2025-30) to reinvest in new projects reflects a strong commitment to long-term development. Additionally, the Rs 1 lakh crore Urban Challenge Fund for ‘Cities as Growth Hubs,’ ‘Creative Redevelopment of Cities,’ and ‘Water & Sanitation’ will foster urban transformation and improve quality of life.
CS (Dr.) Adv. Mamta Binani, President of MSME Development Forum WB
“The recently announced Union Budget for 2025-26 by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is a game-changer for MSMEs. The enhanced credit guarantee, increased investment limits, and targeted support for women and young entrepreneurs will significantly drive growth and innovation, making Indian MSMEs more competitive on the global stage while creating much-needed employment opportunities. The introduction of customized credit cards with a ₹5 lakh limit for micro enterprises will provide essential access to finance, enabling growth and sustainability. Furthermore, the focus on tackling non-tariff barriers to exports and enhancing global competitiveness will open new avenues for MSMEs to thrive internationally. These measures, along with the increased focus on women and youth entrepreneurs, will drive innovation, create jobs, and position India as a formidable global manufacturing hub. This holistic approach to strengthening MSMEs is a significant step towards inclusive and sustainable economic growth.”
