The Budget That Looked Ahead, But Forgot to Look Around

India's Budget 2026: A Story of Big Dreams and Missed Voices

When Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman rose to present her budget today, millions of Indians were watching with a simple question in their hearts: "Will this make my life easier?"

The answer, unfortunately, is complicated.

The Glass Half Full

Imagine Priya, a 16-year-old girl from a small town in Bihar. For the first time, she might get to study in a proper girls' hostel in her district, away from the daily three-hour commute that exhausts her before classes even begin. With over 700 such hostels planned, thousands of Priyas across India will finally get a real shot at education.

Or think of Ramesh, who runs a small manufacturing unit in Ludhiana. He's been struggling to get loans and upgrade his machinery. The Rs 10,000 crore MSME fund might just be his lifeline—a chance to compete, to grow, to hire a few more people from his neighborhood.

And there's Amit's mother, battling cancer in Indore. The exemption of customs duty on 17 cancer drugs could mean the difference between selling their house for treatment or keeping a roof over their heads.

These are real victories. They matter.

The government is building roads, rails, and trauma centres. It's about thinking of semiconductors and biopharma, and making India a manufacturing powerhouse. It's planning for 2047, for the India our children will inherit.

But Here's Where the Story Gets Difficult

Now meet Sunita, a teacher in Delhi. She earns Rs 8 lakh a year. After paying rent, her children's school fees, electricity bills, and buying vegetables at prices that shock her every week, she's barely saving anything. She was hoping -praying, really - for some tax relief.

She got nothing.

Her salary is the same. Her tax is the same. But her expenses? They keep climbing.

Or consider Gopal, a farmer in Maharashtra. He woke up early this morning, hoping to hear something - anything about better prices for his crops, about irrigation, about the debt that's crushing him slowly. The budget talked about rare earth minerals and semiconductor chips, but it barely whispered about the soil that feeds 1.4 billion people.

Farming still employs nearly half of India. Yet this budget treated it like a footnote.

The Uncomfortable Truth

This budget reveals a fundamental disconnect.

It's designed by people who think in billions and decades, for people who live on thousands and struggle month-to-month. It's a budget that says "we'll build you a highway" when you're asking "how do I afford cooking gas?" It promises jobs from infrastructure spending, but offers nothing to the young graduate who's been unemployed for two years.

The vision is impressive. India as a semiconductor hub, a biotech giant, a high-speed rail network connecting metros—these are worthy dreams. But dreams don't pay for your daughter's school books. Dreams don't fill your gas cylinder. Dreams don't help your ageing parents afford medicines.

What We Needed to Hear (But Didn't)

To the Middle Class: "We see you. We know inflation is eating into your savings. Here's some tax relief."

To the Farmers: "You feed the nation. Here's real support—better prices, better irrigation, debt relief."

To the Youth: "Jobs aren't just a side-effect of growth. Here's a concrete employment program."

To Senior Citizens: "Your pension will increase. Your healthcare will be more affordable."

None of these conversations happened today.

The Bigger Picture

Here's what's troubling: this isn't a bad budget. It's an incomplete budget.

It's the difference between building a beautiful house and making sure there's food in the kitchen. Both matter. But when your family is hungry, talking about architecture feels tone-deaf.

India is building trauma centers, excellent. But why are people still going into debt for basic healthcare? We're planning university townships, wonderful. But why are educated youth still struggling to find decent jobs? We're supporting MSMEs, crucial. But why is the farmer, the backbone of our economy, feeling forgotten?

A Question of Priorities

The government will argue that infrastructure creates jobs, that manufacturing boosts the economy, that these benefits will "trickle down."

But trickle-down economics has a funny way of evaporating before it reaches the bottom.

The real test of any budget isn't how impressive it sounds in headlines. It's how it feels in households. Can a mother afford her child's education a little more easily? Can a farmer sleep without worrying about debt? Can a young graduate see a path forward? Can an elderly couple afford their medicines with dignity?

The Path Forward

What India needed desperately was a balanced approach. Yes, build for tomorrow. But don't forget the struggles of today.

Invest in semiconductors, but also invest in the security of the middle class. Plan high-speed rails, but also ensure farmers get fair prices. Create trauma centers, but also make everyday healthcare affordable. Dream big, but also solve small, real problems.

The salaried class isn't asking for the moon. They're asking for breathing room. Farmers aren't demanding riches. They're asking for respect and viability. The youth aren't being unreasonable. They're asking for an opportunity.

In Conclusion

Budget 2026 is a bet on India's future. It's a bet that if we build enough, invest enough, and modernize enough, prosperity will follow for everyone.

But here's what history teaches us: economic growth doesn't automatically translate to economic well-being for ordinary people. That requires deliberate, compassionate policy. It requires looking not just at GDP numbers, but at the face of the vegetable vendor, the schoolteacher, the factory worker, the farmer.

This budget looked ahead with ambition. But it forgot to look around with empathy.

And that's not just an economic oversight. It's a human one.

For the millions watching today, hoping for relief, the message was clear: "Be patient. Your time will come." But patience wears thin when prices don't. India deserves a budget that builds the future AND eases the present. We're still waiting for both.