Union Budget 2026: Govt waives customs duty on cancer and rare disease drugs — key health sector updates

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, presenting her ninth consecutive Union Budget on Sunday, announced several major healthcare measures, including customs duty waivers on 17 cancer drugs and duty exemptions for medicines for seven rare diseases. The finance minister highlighted India’s economic stability, fiscal discipline, and sustained growth under the Narendra Modi-led NDA…

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Union Budget 2026: FM Sitharaman flags health challenges; unveils Rs 10,000 crore Biopharma Shakti

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the Union Budget 2026–27 on Sunday, unveiled a Rs 10,000 crore biopharma initiative and announced the expansion of Ayurveda institutions to meet growing global demand for traditional medicine. To bolster India’s position as a global biopharma hub, the Budget proposed Biopharma Shakti, a new initiative with an outlay of…

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Income Tax Slabs Budget 2026 Live Updates: Will FM Sitharaman cheer salaried, middle class taxpayers with tax relief? New tax regime for FY 2026-27 in focus

Income Tax Budget 2026 Live: Middle class and salaried taxpayers will closely follow Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Union Budget speech, hoping for additional tax relief. In the previous Budget, the FM completely revamped the new income tax regime. While experts believe that Budget 2026 offers limited fiscal headroom for sweeping tax changes, there is still…

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‘Mother of all deals’ will be compassionate and fair to all, says Piyush Goyal as India–EU exports seen doubling in 5 years

With the India–European Union free trade agreement — widely dubbed the “mother of all deals” — now concluded, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday said the pact would be “compassionate and loving”, ensuring gains for all 28 partners involved, while potentially doubling India’s exports to Europe within five years, PTI reported.Goyal said India…

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Union Budget 2026 speech time: When will FM Nirmala Sitharaman present Budget 2026? Check date, time, where to watch live

Budget 2026 speech date, time: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is scheduled to present the Union Budget 2026 in Parliament on February 1, 2026.The Union Budget 2026 will mark FM Nirmala Sitharaman’s ninth consecutive Budget presentation, making her the first finance minister in India to achieve this milestone. She will also become the first finance minister…

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