MADURAI: The Union Budget for 2026-27 which was presented in the Parliament today by Union Finance Minister Mrs.Nirmala Sitharaman has come in for a sharp criticism from the State’s leading trade body-Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry from Madurai.
“Announcements made in the union budget on February 1st 2026 are all only just routine budgetary announcements. They are not trailblazing iniatitives by the Union Finance Minister Mrs.Nirmala Sitharaman who presented the budget for ninth time. From trade and industry perspective, it is an ordinary routine budget with no new policy directions. The 2026-27 union budget has totally disappointed,” Dr.N.Jegatheesan, TN Chamber president, has said in a press statement issued from Madurai today.
He pointed out that there were no specific announcements for Tamil Nadu in this year’s union budget even though the State is going for assembly elections soon.
“The long-awaited Madurai Metro Rail, bus port, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) and Maduarai airport runway expansion have not been mentioned and funds not allocated. It is disappointing for us from trade and industry sector. Whatever that were announced in the union budget today like women’s hostel in every district, inland waterways, content creation labs in schools and colleges, reducing the import duties on cancer drugs etc are just regular announcements,” he said.
However, the TN Chamber has welcomed a few points including the high speed rail corridors from Chennai and reduction of fiscal deficit.
“Our TN Chamber is also concerned that allocations for key sectors remain particularly low- be it agriculture, education or public health. The current personal income tax exemption limit of Rs.4 lakhs should have been increased further to provide more relief to taxpayers,” Dr.N.Jegatheesan has said while expressing the 2026-27 union budget reactions of TN Chamber in Madurai today.
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