Pre-Union Budget 2026-27 Expectations and Quotes from Market Leaders

Naman Bansal January 9, 2025 Business-Listing, Business-News

1.  Mr. Gaurav Dagaonkar, CEO & Co-Founder at Hoopr  
 
“India’s digital and creator economy is expanding rapidly, and music rights and licensing frameworks must evolve in line with today’s content creation and consumption patterns. Music continues to play a central role across short-form video, branding, gaming, and emerging digital formats, yet licensing remains fragmented and complex. There is an urgent need for technology-led, transparent licensing systems supported by a clear and future-ready copyright and legal framework—one that ensures fair creator compensation while making compliance easier for platforms, brands, and users. As AI-generated music and new forms of digital creation gain momentum, clearly defined usage norms and ownership guidelines will be critical. Alongside this, targeted support for startups and MSMEs will be essential to building a sustainable and globally competitive music and creator ecosystem.”  

2. Dr. Harsh Mahajan, Chair – FICCI Health Services and Founder, Mahajan Imaging & Labs:-  As we look toward Budget 2026, there is a strong case for placing preventive healthcare and early diagnostics at the heart of India’s health policy. Rising lifestyle and non-communicable diseases make early screening not a choice, but a necessity. We hope the upcoming budget focuses on expanding tax incentives for preventive health check-ups, rationalising GST on diagnostic services and medical equipment, and supporting the spread of quality preventive infrastructure beyond metro cities. Strengthening digital health integration will further enable early detection at scale. Making preventive diagnostics more affordable today will significantly reduce India’s long-term healthcare burden.  

3.  Mr. Manoj Soni, CEO, YoloBus and Easy Green Mobility 
As India enters the next phase of economic growth, the Union Budget should prioritize strengthening intercity public transport systems by increasing allocations for road infrastructure, smart bus terminals, and digital ticketing. Additionally, supporting EV adoption and cleaner fuel technologies through incentives and infrastructure development will accelerate the transition to sustainable mobility and benefit millions of passengers.
4. Sanket S, Founder at Scandalous Foods : “Ahead of Budget 2026, the food-tech industry is looking for GST simplification and more balanced tax rates on processed traditional foods to ease pressure on MSMEs and bring unorganised players into the formal economy. Increased spending on cold-chain infrastructure, along with steps to improve household purchasing power, can help drive demand across categories. In line with Atmanirbhar Bharat, targeted support for food-tech automation and smoother access to credit will be critical for enabling homegrown brands to scale and establish India as a global centre for preserved traditional foods.”
5. Mr. Taranbir Singh, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Bharat Supply :- “As India’s consumption story deepens beyond metros, the Union Budget holds an opportunity to meaningfully strengthen last-mile and beyond-metro logistics. A key step would be to simplify and rationalise GST for logistics, particularly last-mile delivery services, to lower operating costs and unlock new private investment. Equally important is sustained focus on rural consumption, where logistics is the critical backbone connecting farmers, MSMEs, and small retailers to markets. We need to ensure sustained investments in rural infrastructure, technology adoption, and financial inclusion to bring India’s logistics costs, currently at 14–16% of GDP, closer to global benchmarks.”

5. Mr. Rajan Navani, Chairman, JetSynthesys | Chairman, CII India@100 Council | Co-Chairman, CII National Committee on Media & Entertainment | Board Member, Indian Institute of Creative Technology -: As India approaches Union Budget 2026, the creative and digital economy is at a defining moment. The ambition is clear; the imperative now is execution. Strategic fiscal support, IP-led incentives, tax clarity and R&D investment can unlock original IP creation, scale exports and move India from being a global consumer of content to a global owner of creative and digital innovation.”–

6. Senthil Kumar Hariram, MD and Founder, FTA Global:- The marketing ecosystem is at an inflection point. Rising ad costs, rapid AI adoption, and evolving privacy norms mean businesses need urgent policy support. We expect the Union Budget to prioritise a nationwide AI skilling push, dedicated grants or tax breaks for marketing tech adoption, and easier access to capital for startups. Coupled with clearer data privacy rules and investment in digital infrastructure, these measures will upskill talent, enable AI-driven marketing solutions, and help startups convert innovation into jobs and scale.

7. Anant Bengani, Co-Founder & Director, Zell Education :- “As India moves towards a Viksit Bharat, Budget 2026 should prioritise digital learning infrastructure, inclusive broadband access, and industry-aligned skilling initiatives. Targeted support for EdTech, AI-led education, and lifelong learning will be crucial to bridging the education–employability gap and preparing India’s youth for success in the global knowledge economy,”

8. Dr. Harsh Mahajan, Chair – FICCI Health Services and Founder, Mahajan Imaging & Labs:-  As we look toward Budget 2026, there is a strong case for placing preventive healthcare and early diagnostics at the heart of India’s health policy. Rising lifestyle and non-communicable diseases make early screening not a choice, but a necessity. We hope the upcoming budget focuses on expanding tax incentives for preventive health check-ups, rationalising GST on diagnostic services and medical equipment, and supporting the spread of quality preventive infrastructure beyond metro cities. Strengthening digital health integration will further enable early detection at scale. Making preventive diagnostics more affordable today will significantly reduce India’s long-term healthcare burden.  

9. Shrinivas Rao, FRICS, CEO, Vestian

   “The Union Budget 2026 should prioritise strengthening India’s economic fundamentals to effectively navigate global uncertainties. Accelerated development of tier-2 cities through enhanced infrastructure and improved connectivity with major urban centres is imperative and will require increased private sector participation. Granting industry status to real estate would improve access to institutional financing and catalyse private investment. Further, monetising government land, refining the definition of affordable housing, and promoting mixed-use developments would support sustainable, inclusive, and efficient urban growth. Additionally, the introduction of a central-level GCC policy is essential to establish a structured framework and sustain the long-term growth of Global Capability Centres in India.”

10.  Mr Tanuj Shori, Founder and CEO, Square Yards

The Indian housing market is clearly moving out of a luxury-led upcycle and into a more value-driven phase, with the mid-income segment poised to anchor growth as premium demand begins to stabilise. From the 2026 Union Budget, one should expect a sharper focus on improving affordability through enhanced tax relief for mid-income homebuyers, higher interest deduction limits and sustained investment in urban infrastructure. Equally important is policy support that encourages supply in the affordable and mid-market segments, as recent launches have been disproportionately skewed towards higher ticket sizes. A budget aligned to these realities can strengthen end-user demand, improve price-to-income dynamics and support a more balanced and sustainable phase of urban housing growth.
 11. Mr. Taranbir Singh, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Bharat Supply -: “As India’s consumption story deepens beyond metros, the Union Budget holds an opportunity to meaningfully strengthen last-mile and beyond-metro logistics. A key step would be to simplify and rationalise GST for logistics, particularly last-mile delivery services, to lower operating costs and unlock new private investment. Equally important is sustained focus on rural consumption, where logistics is the critical backbone connecting farmers, MSMEs, and small retailers to markets. We need to ensure sustained investments in rural infrastructure, technology adoption, and financial inclusion to bring India’s logistics costs, currently at 14–16% of GDP, closer to global benchmarks.”
12. Vishal Parekh, Chief Operating Officer, CyberPowerPC India -: Indian gaming and esports are at a defining moment. PROGA 2025 marked the start of a more structured and legitimised chapter for the industry, recognising its growing cultural and economic relevance. As the ecosystem scales, targeted budget support and clear policies will be key to sustaining this momentum.

Treating esports prize money taxation in line with traditional sports, strengthening esports’ role within Khelo India, and encouraging participation across schools, colleges, and states can significantly boost grassroots development. We are hopeful the upcoming budget will support these priorities and help India build a globally competitive gaming and esports ecosystem.

13. Trust-led cybersecurity as a foundation for resilient, future-ready businesses

“On Data Privacy Day, the conversation goes beyond compliance to how organizations build long-term trust and resilience in a digital-first economy. As enterprises scale cloud adoption and deploy AI across operations, managing cyber threats effectively becomes critical to protecting business continuity and stakeholder confidence. A comprehensive security approach, spanning cloud, endpoint, and network environments, combined with real-time monitoring and AI-driven incident response, enables organizations to stay ahead of evolving risks. Aligning security practices with global standards not only strengthens privacy and governance, but also empowers businesses to innovate securely and sustainably.” – Vaibhav Patkar, Risk & Security Solutions Advisor at Orient Technologies Limited

14. Embedding Trust and Responsible AI at the Core of Digital Growth

“Data Privacy Day reflects the vision that inspired me to build solutions focused on trust, resilience, and responsible innovation. As AI and digital systems become integral to business, data protection must be embedded into strategy, not treated as an afterthought. By adopting proactive, intelligence-driven security and strong governance, organizations can safeguard sensitive information, meet regulatory expectations, and scale innovation with confidence.”  – Tejesh Kodali, Group Chairman, Blue Cloud Softech Solutions Limited

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