Budget 2026: FM Sitharaman says ‘Reform Express’ to help government fulfill its kartavya

Budget 2026: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday said that the government’s reform express will continue. Delivering her ninth consecutive Budget speech, FM Sitharaman said, “The Reform Express is well on its way and will maintain its momentum to help us fulfill our kartavya,” she said.“Our government has undertaken comprehensive reforms towards creating employment, boosting productivity and accelerating growth. After the Prime Minister's announcement on Independence Day in 2025 over 350 reforms have been rolled out. This includes GST simplification, notification of labor codes and registration of mandatory quality control orders. High level committees have been formed. And in parallel, the central government is working with the State governments on deregulation and reducing compliance requirements,” she said. “The first requirement is to sustain the momentum of structural reforms, continuous, adaptive and forward looking. Second, a robust and resilient financial sector is central to mobilizing savings, allocating capital efficiently and managing risks. Third, cutting edge technologies, including AI applications, can serve us as force multipliers for better governance,” she said.She announced specific proposals to accelerate and sustain economic growth. FM proposed interventions in six areas.Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also tabled the 16th finance Commission report in the Lok Sabha, which was chaired by former NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya. Its members include former bureaucrat Annie George Mathew, economist Manoj Panda, SBI Group Chief Economic Advisor Soumya Kanti Ghosh, and RBI Deputy Governor T Rabi Sankar.