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Sitharaman Says Reforms and Infrastructure Built India’s Resilience
Nirmala Sitharaman said India has worked to make its economy better able to handle difficult times.
She said careful government spending, stronger banks and new infrastructure helped build that resilience.
She pointed to economic figures, including growth, inflation and foreign currency reserves.
She also described programmes that provide banking access, benefits and loans to people.
Roads and airports have expanded, she said.
Looking ahead, India should secure important resources and avoid relying too heavily on a single source.
Sitharaman also called for more skills training and private investment in research.
She said this work should continue as India seeks higher productivity and better opportunities by 2047.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India’s economic resilience was built through fiscal prudence, infrastructure investment, banking reforms and sustained reforms over the past decade.
She cited 7.8% real GDP growth in Q1 FY27, August 2026 CPI inflation of 4.82%, a current account deficit of 0.5% of GDP in Q1 and foreign exchange reserves of about $766 billion.
Sitharaman highlighted the Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile system, Direct Benefit Transfers, welfare programmes and more than 52 crore collateral-free loans sanctioned under PM MUDRA Yojana.
She said FY27 capital expenditure was budgeted at ₹12.22 lakh crore, while the national highway network had grown about 61% and operational airports had more than doubled since 2014.
She called for stronger strategic resource security, predictable global trade, skills development and more private investment in research and innovation.
- Who
- Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
- What
- She said India’s economic resilience was built through reforms, fiscal prudence, infrastructure and banking changes, and outlined future priorities.
- Where
- At the 5th Kautilya Economic Conclave.
- When
- Saturday; the article was published on October 3, 2026.
- Why
- To explain how India has prepared to absorb economic shocks and to identify priorities for future resilience.
Key facts
- Real GDP growth
- 7.8% in Q1 FY27
- CPI inflation
- 4.82% in August 2026
- Current account deficit
- 0.5% of GDP in Q1
- Foreign exchange reserves
- About USD 766 billion
- FY27 capital expenditure
- Budgeted at ₹12.22 lakh crore
- PM MUDRA Yojana loans
- More than 52 crore collateral-free loans sanctioned
- Infrastructure since 2014
- National highway network expanded about 61%; operational airports more than doubled
Quotes
Nirmala Sitharaman
India’s Union Finance Minister
“The evidence of resilience lies largely in the counterfactual, in the outcomes that did not materialise: an inflation spiral that did not take hold, queues that did not form at fuel outlets, banking stress that did not surface and a fiscal correction that was never forced.”
thehindubusinessline.com
“Resilience is not a one-time exercise”
thehindubusinessline.com
Sources
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