Budget 2026 Drives Electronics, Semiconductors, and Infrastructure Growth: Ravi Kunwar, HMD

Ravi Kunwar, VP and CEO, HMD India and APAC

“The Finance Minister must be lauded for her broad vision in covering several key sectors in the Budget. The hiked allocation of ₹40,000 crore for the Electronic Components Manufacturing Scheme will give a fillip to varied verticals, including the telecom industry. Similarly, the proposed launch of the India Semiconductor Mission 2.0, focused on industry-led R&D and training centres for chips, is another welcome announcement.

The move to transform the Customs warehousing framework into a warehouse operator-centric system via self-declarations, risk-based audit and electronic tracking will eliminate the problems of officer-linked approvals. This will reduce transaction delays and lower compliance costs.

The decision to create a High-Powered ‘Education to Employment and Enterprise’ Standing Committee to help in assessing the impact of emerging technologies, such as AI, on jobs and skill requirements, will be useful in introducing suitable measures to mitigate the downside. The promotion of environmentally sustainable cargo movement through the proposed East to West corridor is also good news. Likewise, the decision to build seven high-speed rail corridors between cities as growth connectors will give a huge boost to industrial activities across India.”