The Union Budget 2026-27, to be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1, 2026, at 11 AM (a historic Sunday presentation), is drawing focused pre-budget expectations from sectors emphasizing workforce welfare, digital transformation, real estate growth, and early childhood care. As India advances toward Viksit Bharat, leaders are urging reforms in gig worker social security, technology and AI skilling, infrastructure-led housing affordability, GST rationalisation, and care economy support to foster inclusive employment, digital inclusion, urban development, and women’s workforce participation.
Gig Economy Welfare: Portable Social Security and Lower Eligibility Barriers
Rahm Shastry, Co-founder & CEO, DriveU, calls for full implementation of the Code on Social Security, 2020, with practical tweaks for gig workers.
“We would expect the upcoming budget to be firmly centred on gig worker welfare. India’s gig economy runs on millions of workers who often work part-time or across multiple platforms. For them, social security cannot be conditional on rigid eligibility thresholds.
We would like to see the full implementation of the Code on Social Security, 2020, with practical adjustments—especially lowering or removing the current 90–120 day eligibility requirement—so more gig workers can access basic health and accident cover.
A centrally managed national social security fund, supported through shared contributions from both aggregators and workers, can create a fair and sustainable model where benefits are portable across platforms and workers retain agency through their own contribution. Beyond accident cover, gig workers need comprehensive protection: life insurance, disability support, health and maternity benefits, and old-age security. The absence of structured benefits remains one of the biggest challenges in the gig economy, and Budget 2026 has a real opportunity to take a meaningful step in the right direction.”
Technology Sector: AI Infrastructure, Skilling, and Domestic Manufacturing Push
Alok Dubey, Chief Financial Officer, Acer India, highlights balanced support for manufacturing and AI adoption.
“As the technology sector moves from recovery to scale, the Union Budget 2026–27 has an important role to play in strengthening India’s position in the global digital and AI economy. The industry will continue to look for policy momentum around domestic electronics manufacturing, including deeper support for component ecosystems and PLI-led value creation. Equally important is a sharper focus on AI, through investments in compute infrastructure, data centres, R&D, and large-scale skilling, to enable responsible and widespread adoption across enterprises, education, and public services. Measures that improve the affordability of computing devices and reduce input cost pressures will further accelerate digital inclusion and technology penetration across emerging markets. A balanced approach that aligns manufacturing depth with AI-led innovation will be critical for the sustained growth of India’s IT and technology sector.”
Venkatesan Vijayaraghavan, Chief Operating Officer, Virtusa, stresses scaling enterprise-led training and collaborations.
“As India looks ahead to Union Budget 2026–27, the sustained focus on digital capability building and talent development provides a strong base for a future-ready workforce. Continued investments in skills across AI, data, cloud, and digital engineering are strengthening India’s ability to support complex enterprise transformation programs at global scale.
Across the technology services sector, companies are focused on building delivery-ready talent through enterprise-led training, apprenticeships, and structured early-career programs. Budget provisions that help scale these efforts and enable closer collaboration with educational institutions can sustain this momentum and reinforce India’s position as a global hub for digital services delivery.”
Real Estate: Infrastructure Investment, Affordability Measures, and GST Reforms
Multiple real estate leaders emphasize infrastructure connectivity, tax relief, and regulatory clarity to revive demand and boost employment.
Mr. Sachin Bhandari, Executive Director & CEO, VTP Realty: “As we approach the Union Budget, the residential real estate sector is looking for stronger support for infrastructure-led growth particularly through better roads, highways, ring roads, and metro connectivity. Housing sales across various cities softened in 2025 driven by rising raw material & input prices, increase in land costs and selective buyer sentiment. We surely expect policy measures that improve affordability across segments, including both value and luxury housing. Real estate remains the second-largest employer in the country and a key driver for several allied industries. In many ways, real estate has a strong multiplier effect, when real estate performs well, several other sectors benefit alongside it. It creates employment and contributes significantly to GDP growth. Further GST reforms would be helpful in reducing overall costs and boost the sector. As we look to Budget 2026, policies that enhance infrastructure investment and tax incentives can amplify this momentum.”
Mr. Aakash Agarwal, MD, Krisala Developers (Pune focus): “In Pune’s evolving residential landscape, pricing today reflects both maturity and momentum. As of 2025, it signals a market that rewards strong locations, quality construction, and long-term livability rather than speculative pricing. From a developer’s perspective, Pune remains structurally well-positioned for steady growth, supported by infrastructure expansion, employment generation, and consistent end-user demand. To further strengthen the ecosystem, developers look to the government for faster and more predictable approval processes, greater clarity on development control regulations, and continued investment in last-mile infrastructure and public transport. Rationalisation of taxes and fees, incentives for sustainable construction, and support for affordable and mid-income housing would also help deepen demand. With policy stability and infrastructure-led growth, Pune can continue to evolve as one of India’s most resilient and investment-worthy residential markets.”
Manan Joshi, Founder, Sarvam Properties: “As India approaches the Union Budget 2026-27, Sarvam Properties hopes the Finance Minister will deliver a forward looking Budget that strengthens homeownership and boosts real estate investment. With affordability still a key challenge for homebuyers, we urge measures that enhance tax incentives on home loans and related deductions, helping more middle income families realise the dream of owning a home. Tax relief geared toward home loan interest, rationalisation of GST for construction inputs, and expanded benefits for affordable housing will be vital to stimulate demand and revive stalled projects creating deeper market confidence and unlocking growth across urban and emerging regions. We also support the broader push for economic resilience and future competitiveness, where policies that encourage infrastructure development, improve ease of project approvals, and advance digital and construction technology adoption will strengthen both supply and investment flows across the real estate sector. A Budget that combines tax relief, affordability measures, and growth incentives will not only benefit homebuyers but also sustain the sector as a dynamic engine of employment and economic activity.”
Navin Dhanuka, Director, ArisUnitern RE Solutions: “As India heads into Budget 2026–27, the real estate sector will benefit most from a stable, forward-looking policy framework that prioritises infrastructure development, ease of execution, and regulatory clarity. Measures such as rationalisation of taxes on construction inputs, faster approvals, and improved access to housing finance can meaningfully strengthen supply-side confidence. Coupled with income-tax reforms that enhance household purchasing power, Budget 2026 can unlock housing demand, support planned urban expansion, and drive sustainable, long-term growth.”
Bhavesh Kothari, Founder & CEO, Property First: “Budget 2026 presents a timely opportunity to strengthen India’s housing led growth story by empowering end consumers and improving capital flow into real assets. We expect continued policy focus on affordable and mid income housing through enhanced tax benefits on home loans, rationalisation of long term capital gains, and easier access to institutional credit for developers. Clearer financing norms, infrastructure led incentives, and faster approval mechanisms for projects will unlock demand in emerging growth corridors, especially among first time buyers and self build homeowners. A sustained push on infrastructure spending, digitisation of land records, and GST rationalisation for construction inputs will further improve transparency, reduce costs, and accelerate project completion timelines. A stable, growth oriented Budget can reinforce real estate’s role as a long term wealth creator while aligning housing demand with India’s evolving aspirations.”
Early Childhood Education & Care: Subsidies and PPPs for Women’s Workforce Participation
Shruti Madhavan, Senior Vice President, KLAY Preschools and Daycare, advocates prioritizing ECE in the care economy.
“With increasing emphasis on women’s workforce participation across industries, we expect that the upcoming Budget to prioritise Early Childhood Education and Care, rather than limiting support to nutrition and health alone. Targeted budget support and subsidies for organizations and government bodies involved in the care economy would be crucial to sustain this momentum and enable more women to participate in the workforce.
For NEP 2020 to be implemented effectively, learning in the early years needs to be more hands-on and experience-based. This requires the government to allocate funds to make investments in training teachers and early childcare workers, especially those caring for children under six. Early education and care, like healthcare and insurance, should be recognised as essential social infrastructure.
Stronger public–private partnerships can further support this labour-intensive sector by helping to scale affordable, high-quality childcare, particularly in urban centres where the needs of working families continue to grow.”
Inclusive Growth: Gig Economy, Tax Reforms, and Affordable Housing
Mythri Kumar, Co-Founder, TimBuckDo, ties gig welfare, tax relief, and housing incentives to broader economic goals.
“As India stands at the threshold of its next phase of economic transformation, the Union Budget 2026 must be forward-looking, inclusive, and growth-centric. For the gig economy, a vibrant engine of flexible work and entrepreneurship this Budget should deliver concrete social security and fiscal incentives that recognise the unique nature of platform-based work. Extending benefits like portable social security cover, healthcare access and tax relief for gig workers will help formalise and empower millions who contribute significantly to India’s digital-first workforce. We also believe that meaningful tax reforms and relief for individuals and businesses including revisiting income tax slabs and enhancing deductions can boost consumer confidence and stimulate demand across sectors. Affordable housing and real estate incentives remain critical to broad-based economic growth, and reforms in this segment will support job creation and household investment.
In sum, Budget 2026 should not just balance the books it must anchor India’s competitive edge, enhance workforce welfare, and unlock opportunities for all segments of the economy, keeping the nation on a sustainable growth trajectory towards its long-term vision.”
As the Union Budget 2026 approaches, these pre-budget voices reflect a shared vision: prioritizing worker protections in the gig economy, accelerating tech and skilling investments, reviving real estate through infrastructure and affordability measures, and bolstering early care infrastructure to enable inclusive, employment-driven growth. Such targeted reforms could significantly enhance social security, digital competitiveness, housing access, and women’s economic participation in India’s journey toward a resilient, Viksit Bharat.
Last Updated on Friday, January 23, 2026 3:23 pm by Startup Newswire Team
