New Delhi, Feb. 1 -- The Union budget adopted a manufacturing-led strategy to support exports and strengthen India's integration into global supply chains, at a time when geopolitical tensions and trade disruptions are reshaping sourcing decisions worldwide.

Presenting the budget, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government's focus would be on lowering input costs, easing compliance and improving logistics and trade facilitation, rather than relying solely on incentives, to position India as a global manufacturing and sourcing destination.

A key plank of the export push is targeted customs relief for labour-intensive sectors. The budget raised the limit for duty-free imports of specified inputs used for processing seafood ex...