India, Feb. 1 -- Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman delivered her ninth consecutive Union Budget speech on Sunday.

During her speech, the Finance Minister said the Centre had focused on "reforms over rhetoric", while adding that this had helped the government deliver a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of 7.2%, amid geopolitical crises.

"India's economic trajectory marked by stability over 12 years. The stability has been displayed amid ongoing uncertainty.The government has preferred reform over rhetoric and pursued far-reaching reforms," Sitharaman said.

For the Union Budget 2026, Sitharaman proposed central intervention in six sectors - including manufacturing, strategic and frontier sectors, healthcare and advanced te...