Amit Gainda, Managing Director & CEO, Avanse Financial Services
“The Union Budget 2026 reflects a strong and balanced focus on accelerating growth, ensuring inclusive development, and strengthening India’s long-term economic foundations. The emphasis on employment-led growth, private-sector participation, and investment in people highlights the Government’s intent to build a resilient, future-ready economy while advancing the broader vision of Viksit Bharat.
Within this overarching agenda, education and skilling remain critical enablers of sustainable growth. The Budget’s focus on expanding higher and medical education capacity, establishing Centres of Excellence for skilling and AI in education, strengthening Atal Tinkering Labs, and improving digital access to schools emphasises the importance of building both scale and quality in India’s education system. Establishing one girls’ hostel in every district of the country will be a major push to women’s education. This initiative transforms the landscape of higher education by ensuring that every girl, regardless of her location, has a safe, supportive, and accessible ‘home away from home’ to pursue her academic ambitions. These measures will help widen access to learning opportunities and strengthen skill development across regions.
The policy direction also reinforces the need for stronger alignment between education and workforce needs. Educational institutions must scale while maintaining quality. Educators must align curriculum and teaching with evolving skills. Education-focused lenders must strengthen collaboration with educational institutions and skilling centres and provide financing frameworks that support diverse education and training pathways in a responsible, sustainable manner. The reduction in TCS on education-related remittances is also a positive step.
Overall, the Budget sets a clear path. With effective execution, its focus on education and skills can help transform India’s youth into active drivers of economic growth and support steady progress towards Viksit Bharat. The financial sector will stand by the youth to assist them in accessing quality education, educational infrastructure, and various schemes chalked out for them. As an education-focused organisation, we are always ready to support aspirants in acquiring the necessary skills to contribute positively to economic development.”
