Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to present her seventh consecutive Budget, which aims to chart a course towards a developed India (Viksit Bharat) by 2047 and review the past decade's performance.

Key expectations include potential tax relief for the middle class amid tax buoyancy and adherence to the fiscal glide path, targeting a fiscal deficit of 4.5% of GDP by 2025-26. Notably, Sitharaman's first Budget in 2019 replaced the traditional leather briefcase with a 'bahi-khata' and this year's Budget will be paperless, as in the past three years.

Key numbers to watch for Modi 3.0's first full Budget:

1. Fiscal Deficit: Projected at 5.1% for the current fiscal year, down from 5.8% last year, with an aim to reach 4.5% by FY26.
2. Capital Expenditure: Planned at Rs 11.1 lakh crore, up from Rs 9.5 lakh crore, emphasizing infrastructure development.
3. Tax Revenue: Estimated at Rs 38.31 lakh crore for 2024-25, with Rs 21.99 lakh crore from direct taxes and Rs 16.22 lakh crore from indirect taxes.
4. GST: Expected to collect Rs 10.68 lakh crore in 2024-25, a rise of 11.6%.
5. Borrowing: Gross borrowing is set at Rs 14.13 lakh crore for the current year.
6. Nominal GDP: Estimated to grow 10.5% to Rs 327.7 trillion, with real GDP growth projected at 7.2%.
7. Dividend: Expected Rs 1.02 lakh crore from RBI and financial institutions, potentially revised upwards following a Rs 2.11 lakh crore surplus transfer from the RBI, and Rs 43,000 crore from CPSEs.

Attention will also be paid to allocations for key schemes like NREGA and sectors such as health and education.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to present her seventh consecutive Budget, which aims to chart a course towards a developed India (Viksit Bharat) by 2047 and review the past decade's performance.

Key expectations include potential tax relief for the middle class amid tax buoyancy and adherence to the fiscal glide path, targeting a fiscal deficit of 4.5% of GDP by 2025-26. Notably, Sitharaman's first Budget in 2019 replaced the traditional leather briefcase with a 'bahi-khata' and this year's Budget will be paperless, as in the past three years.

Key numbers to watch for Modi 3.0's first full Budget:

1. Fiscal Deficit: Projected at 5.1% for the current fiscal year, down from 5.8% last year, with an aim to reach 4.5% by FY26.
2. Capital Expenditure: Planned at Rs 11.1 lakh crore, up from Rs 9.5 lakh crore, emphasizing infrastructure development.
3. Tax Revenue: Estimated at Rs 38.31 lakh crore for 2024-25, with Rs 21.99 lakh crore from direct taxes and Rs 16.22 lakh crore from indirect taxes.
4. GST: Expected to collect Rs 10.68 lakh crore in 2024-25, a rise of 11.6%.
5. Borrowing: Gross borrowing is set at Rs 14.13 lakh crore for the current year.
6. Nominal GDP: Estimated to grow 10.5% to Rs 327.7 trillion, with real GDP growth projected at 7.2%.
7. Dividend: Expected Rs 1.02 lakh crore from RBI and financial institutions, potentially revised upwards following a Rs 2.11 lakh crore surplus transfer from the RBI, and Rs 43,000 crore from CPSEs.

Attention will also be paid to allocations for key schemes like NREGA and sectors such as health and education.