Top News

New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is all set to deliver the Union Budget speech and table the Modi governments revenue and expenditure plans for the year on February 1. The Budget session will run from January 28 to April 2. This will be Nirmala Sitharamans ninth consecutive Budget. She also holds the record for the longest Budget speech delivered on February 1 2020 which lasted two hours and 40 minutes. Budget 2026: Important dates 28 January: The Budget Session commenced with a joint address by President Droupadi Murmu to both the Houses of Parliament. 29 January: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the Economic Survey 2026 which presents a comprehensive state of the economy. 1 February: Sitharaman will present the Budget 2026 at 11 AM at the Lok Sabha. 13 February: The first half of the Budget Session ends. 9 March: The second half of the Budget Session will begin on this day. 2 April: The final day of the Budget Session after which Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will be adjourned sine die. From tomorrow several budget-related changes are set to come into effect. These are changes that will directly impact your day-to-day life. The Union Budget 2026 will also be presented tomorrow and it may include several announcements related to your pocket. On the other hand starting 1 February many rules and prices related to LPG cylinders cigarettes FASTag and more are also expected to change. 1. New LPG Cylinder Prices New prices for domestic LPG cylinders are expected to be announced on 1 February. In fact oil companies review LPG prices on the first day of every month. Based on this review companies may increase decrease or keep the prices unchanged. Last month their price was reduced by ₹14.50. 2. CNG PNG and Aviation Fuel From tomorrow prices of CNG PNG and aviation fuel may also change. Since the Union Budget is scheduled to be presented on 1 February it is possible that price revisions for these fuels could be announced on the same day. 3. Changes in FASTag Rules NHAI has announced that the KYC verification process for FASTag will be completely removed. From 1 February after activating a FASTag users will not be required to undergo any additional KYC verification. The responsibility will now lie with the FASTag-issuing banks to complete all necessary vehicle-related checks in advance. 4. Cigarettes Pan Masala and Tobacco to Become Costlier From 1 February 2026 the consumption of pan masala cigarettes and tobacco products is set to become more expensive. Modi government is preparing to increase taxes on these products which will lead to a definite rise in their prices. This additional burden will be separate from regular GST. 5. Changes in Credit Card Rules HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank are also set to change certain rules related to their credit cards from 1 February. HDFC Infinia Metal credit card users will now be able to redeem reward points a maximum of five times per month. ICICI Bank is discontinuing the facility of free movie tickets via BookMyShow on some of its select credit cards. Changes will also be made to the reward points structure.