As India prepares for Union Budget 2026, leaders from startups, digital economy, manufacturing, deep-tech, childcare, FMCG, luxury consumption, EVs, healthcare, and global technology services have shared expectations focused on capital formation, skilling, exports, sustainability, and long-term value creation.
Industry stakeholders believe Union Budget 2026 presents a crucial opportunity to strengthen India’s innovation ecosystem, enhance domestic consumption, and position the country as a globally competitive, resilient economy aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
Union Budget 2026: Electronics, Startups and Recommerce Ecosystem
Subodh Garg, CFO, Cashify, highlighted the need to move India’s electronics sector beyond scale toward sustainable value creation.
“As India charts its path toward Viksit Bharat 2047, the Union Budget has an opportunity to shift the electronics sector from pure scale to sustainable value creation. Manufacturing momentum is now proven, but the next phase lies in strengthening capital formation, employee participation, and full-lifecycle value retention of electronics,” Garg said.
He pointed to friction caused by ESOP taxation at the time of exercise, inconsistency in long-term capital gains treatment for unlisted shares, and lingering uncertainty around angel tax impacting early-stage funding.
“Aligning ESOP taxation with actual monetisation would make ownership more meaningful and strengthen the ecosystem. Greater consistency in long-term capital gains treatment would encourage patient capital,” he added.
Garg also emphasised the potential of organised refurbishment and recommerce as an import-substitution and value-multiplication engine, urging recognition of certified second-life electronics within the formal value chain.
Also Read: Union Budget 2026 in Focus: Gaming, AVGC-XR and Digital IP at a Critical Inflection Point
Union Budget 2026: Deep-Tech, Drones and Cyber-Physical Systems
On behalf of Sai Pattabiram, Founder & MD, Zuppa, the company highlighted the structural shift underway in India’s drone industry.
“The Indian drone industry is emerging from a critical phase of disruption—one that has fundamentally reshaped its dominant business model. With sharper focus on indigenous components, cybersecurity, and recognition of drones as dual-use strategic assets, the sector is now at an inflection point,” the statement said.
The company called for Design-Linked Incentives, targeted PLI schemes, export-focused incentives, and easing of SCOMET regulations to help Indian manufacturers scale globally.
Venkatesh Sai, Founder & Technical Director, Zuppa, added that Union Budget 2026 could be transformative by recognising secure computing, real-time AI, and indigenous hardware as national priorities.
“Policy support must extend beyond assembly to deep-tech innovation—covering secure motherboards, real-time control computing, AI-driven autonomy, and cyber-resilient architectures,” he said.
Union Budget 2026: Human Capital, Childcare and Workforce Participation
Swati Jain, Director, The Banyan, emphasised the economic role of early childhood education and corporate childcare.
“Early childhood education and corporate childcare are not peripheral welfare measures, but core economic enablers. Access to reliable preschool and daycare directly determines workforce participation, especially for women professionals,” she said.
She urged targeted tax incentives for employer-supported childcare, simplified compliance norms, and increased investment in early learning infrastructure in Union Budget 2026.
Union Budget 2026: Climate Finance, AI and Enterprise Intelligence
Rajashri Sai, Founder & CEO, Impactree.ai, stressed the need to strengthen climate finance and MSMEs.
“Resilience must now be affordable, measurable, and scalable. Technology will bridge sustainability performance with financial credibility for MSMEs,” she said.
Vivek Shankaranarayanan, Co-founder, Impactree.ai, added that India should focus on business-centric AI models integrated with DPI and enterprise systems.
“This is how AI can translate physical and financial signals into durable economic value,” he noted.
Union Budget 2026: FMCG, Luxury Consumption and Domestic Demand
Gagan Agarwal, Founder & CEO, Baby Forest, said the premium childcare segment expects incentives for innovation, sustainability, and clean formulations.
GROHE highlighted rising demand for personalised luxury and wellness-oriented living, calling for easing capital gains reinvestment limits under Sections 54 and 54F, rationalising transaction costs, and stable policies to support premium real estate consumption.
CMD Gautam Singhania emphasised strengthening domestic consumption while scaling Make in India for global markets, particularly in textiles, aerospace, and defence manufacturing.
Union Budget 2026: Technology Services, GCCs and Digital Talent
Veena Khandke, SVP & Managing Director, Ensono India, said Union Budget 2026 could reinforce India’s role as a trusted global technology hub.
“Incentives for cloud transformation, cybersecurity readiness, and responsible AI adoption will help multinational organisations deepen long-term commitments to India,” she said.
She also stressed the importance of future-ready skills in AI operations, data engineering, and platform engineering.
Union Budget 2026: QSR, FMCG, EVs and Healthcare
Aayush Madhusudan Agrawal, Founder & Director, Lenexis Foodworks, called for GST rationalisation on commercial rentals and a single-window clearance system for the QSR sector.
Praveen Jaipuriar, CEO, CCL Products (India), highlighted the importance of agricultural productivity, FTAs, and continued GST simplification to strengthen FMCG growth and exports.
Pratik Kamdar, Co-founder & CEO, Neuron Energy, emphasised timely execution of PLI incentives, workforce skilling, recycling, and localisation to support the rapidly growing EV and battery ecosystem.
Sameer Merchant, MD & CEO, Laxmi Dental Limited, called for incentives supporting digital health, AI-driven diagnostics, and advanced medical manufacturing to improve accessibility and affordability of care.
