Budget 2026-27 promise tracker: what has happened eight months on

The Union Budget for 2026-27, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 1 February 2026, made dozens of commitments, from a lower fiscal deficit to new schemes for semiconductors, small businesses and high-speed rail. This tracker follows 25 of them, each tied to the paragraph of the Budget speech or the Budget document where it appears.

As of 11 October 2026, three promises have been formally delivered: the Income Tax Act, 2025 is in force, the Cabinet has approved India Semiconductor Mission 2.0, and the Cabinet has approved the ₹10,000 crore SME Growth Fund. Five are in progress, including the headline fiscal deficit target of 4.3% of GDP, which ICRA expects to be missed by ₹1.3 to 1.4 lakh crore.

For 17 promises we found no reliable update. We will add updates as ministries and other reliable sources publish them. We also include one check on the previous Budget: the 2025-26 fiscal deficit target of 4.4% was met.

How to read it

Each promise carries one of three labels. “Delivered” means the measure has been formally put in place, such as a law in force or a scheme approved by the Cabinet; it does not mean the goal has been achieved. “In progress” means we found verified steps or in-year data. “No update found” means we could not find a reliable source on progress, which is different from saying nothing has happened.

Every entry gives the speech reference, the ministry, the date we last checked and the sources behind the progress note. We do not estimate progress or rely on unofficial claims.

Sources

Promises are taken from the Budget speech and Budget at a Glance on indiabudget.gov.in and PIB’s Budget highlights. Progress notes cite the source used for each: government releases where available (CBDT, PIB), otherwise news agencies and newspapers, named in each entry.