The Union Budget 2026 signals a multi-sector push towards workforce readiness, domestic manufacturing and inclusive rural growth, with education, renewable energy, textiles and the cooperative dairy sector emerging as key pillars of the government’s long-term economic strategy.
The cooperative dairy and animal husbandry sector has received a significant boost under the Budget, according to Dr Meenesh Shah, Chairman, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).
“The initiatives would enhance farmers’ incomes, promote entrepreneurship in animal husbandry and dairying and strengthen cooperatives, a key step toward realising the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. Tax relief for cooperatives was another highlight. The extension of full deduction benefits to cattle feed, would significantly reduce their tax burden, ensuring better returns for farmer members,” Dr Shah said.
Also highlighting opportunities in digital infrastructure, Mr Rushabh Dedhia, Managing Director, JIKA EPC Services Limited, said, “India’s data centre capacity may rise five-fold to 8 GW by 2030, with the Budget sending a strong signal on India’s intent to emerge as a global hub for data centre infrastructure. The proposed tax holiday till 2047 for foreign cloud service providers using data centres based in India significantly improves long-term investment visibility and positions the country as a competitive destination for hyperscale capacity, which is expected to accelerate investment momentum and strengthen India’s position in the Asia-Pacific. He added that the creation of more data centres is expected to spur allied investments in power, including renewables, real estate and optical fibre infrastructure.”
On the manufacturing and sustainability front, Mr Ronak Chiripal, Promoter, Chiripal Group, said the Budget had taken a pragmatic approach to strengthening domestic capacity in clean energy.
“The Union Budget has taken a pragmatic step towards strengthening India’s clean energy manufacturing ecosystem, with targeted customs duty exemptions that support energy transition and security.”
“Extending the basic customs duty exemption to capital goods used in Lithium-ion cells for battery energy storage systems will help accelerate domestic capacity creation in grid-scale storage while exemptions on key inputs such as sodium antimonate support localisation in the solar value chain,” he added.
Highlighting the textile sector, Mr Ronak Chiripal said the Budget provided long-awaited policy clarity.
“The Union Budget 2026 provides a clear policy roadmap for the labour-intensive textile sector, with a welcome focus on fibre self-reliance, cluster modernisation and sustainability. The proposed integrated programme covering natural and man-made fibres, technology upgradation in traditional clusters, targeted support for handlooms and handicrafts, and the Tex-Eco initiative addresses long-standing structural gaps and also aids in improving India’s export competitiveness.”
In the education sector, the Budget’s emphasis on linking learning outcomes to employability has been widely welcomed.
Shri Rishabh Jain, President, Swarrnim Startup and Innovation University, said, “The Union Budget 2026 proposes several important measures to strengthen the education-to-employment pipeline by recognising services and skills as core drivers of India’s growth story. The proposal to set up a high-powered ‘Education to Employment and Enterprise’ Standing Committee, noting that it reflects “a structured approach to aligning curricula with industry needs, particularly in emerging areas such as AI, services exports and technology-led jobs.”
