In a press statement, CII said India continues to remain the world’s fastest-growing major economy, underpinned by resilient domestic demand and sustained reform efforts, despite global headwinds from geopolitical tensions, trade disruptions and a slowing global economy. Reflecting this optimism, CII’s Business Confidence Index rose for the third consecutive quarter to 66.5 in the third quarter of fiscal 2025–26, the highest level in five quarters.
“The steady rise in business confidence shows industry’s ability to navigate external headwinds, anchored by resilient domestic demand and a robust reform agenda,” said Chandrajit Banerjee, director general, CII, adding that industry expects growth momentum to strengthen further in the coming months.
A central pillar of CII’s Budget recommendations is sustaining capital expenditure, with the proposed launch of a revitalised National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) 2.0 with an outlay of ₹150 crore. The industry body stressed the need to prioritise shovel-ready, revenue-generating projects and faster dispute-resolution mechanisms to accelerate execution and crowd in private investment.
To enhance India’s long-term competitiveness, CII has proposed the creation of an India Development and Strategic Fund (IDSF), envisaged as a sovereign-anchored platform to mobilise domestic institutional capital and foreign investment. The fund could operate through two arms—one focused on developmental priorities such as MSMEs, energy transition and human capital, and another supporting strategic overseas acquisitions and partnerships.
CII has also suggested a ₹1,000-crore Digitisation Fund to accelerate regulatory digitisation through initiatives such as the Unified Enterprise Identity, Entity Locker, API-based compliance systems, an upgraded e-Gazette and India Code, and a National Compliance Grid. According to CII, these measures would eliminate duplication, enable real-time data flows and reduce compliance burdens by creating paperless, presence-less digital systems.
On innovation, CII recommended establishing ten Centres of Advanced Learning and Research, each with a budget of ₹1,000 crore, focused on frontier areas including artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, advanced materials, robotics, clean energy and biotechnology, supported through a public–private co-funding model.
The industry body also advocated tariff rationalisation to boost exports and global value chain integration, strengthening the banking and financial ecosystem, faster asset tokenisation, and a comprehensive review of banking structures through an expert committee.
With industry confidence high and expectations firmly set on reforms, stakeholders see the Union Budget 2026–27 as a critical opportunity to deepen structural changes and sustain India’s growth trajectory in the decade ahead.
ALCHEMPro News Desk (KUL)
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