Last Updated on February 12, 2026 10:14 pm by BIZNAMA NEWS
Resilient & Self-Reliant: FM Outlines Vision for 7.4% GDP Growth in FY 2025-26
A R DAS r / New Delhi
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today said that the government is working for a resilient and self-reliant India by giving a push to economic growth and ensuring inclusive development. Replying to a discussion on the Union Budget in the Rajya Sabha, the Minister said, high growth has been maintained while keeping the inflation low. She said the National Statistics Office projects the country’s GDP to grow by 7.4 per cent in the financial year 2025-26. She said the CPI inflation softened to 2 per cent, which reflects the strong growth fundamentals of the country’s economy.
Ms Sitharaman stressed that emphasis has been laid on building domestic manufacturing capacity. She said, this year’s budget reflects the government’s vision for the manufacturing sector. She said that special provisions and budgetary allocations were made for the Biopharma, Semiconductor Mission 2.0, rare earth corridors, container manufacturing ecosystem, sports goods, textiles, and Champion MSMEs. She said, focus has been made to develop human capital, which will lead to creating employment opportunities in the coming years. She said, banking and credit availability have seen considerable growth.
The Finance Minister countered the opposition charge of expenditure curtailment in many welfare schemes. She said that sufficient budgetary allocations have been made for the welfare schemes. She also negated the opposition’s allegations on middle-class suppression, she said, economic reforms undertaken by the government under the NDA government has lead to middle-class expansion.
The Finance Minister said that all senior citizens of 70 years and above have been included in PM Jan Aarogya Yojana, so free health cover of 5 lakh rupees is available for senior citizens. She said GST on several important items has been brought down, which will benefit senior citizens. Ms Sitharaman also said that the Indian market is undergoing a structural transformation, with record-low unemployment. She highlighted that India’s unemployment has fallen from 5.6 percent in 2017-18 to 3.2 percent in 2023-24, and the economy is actively absorbing labour. The Finance Minister stated that there is no inflation crisis right now, and it has been tamed and stabilised. She said the government will rejuvenate 200 legacy industrial clusters. She added that the budget introduces ten thousand crore rupees in the name of the SME growth fund.
