PRIME Minister Mr. Narendra Modi’s interpretation of the Union Budget 2026 deserves appreciation. In just three words,he described thepoint at which the Indian economy is poised -- for inclusive growth, for future. He said, the Union Budget 2026 did not represent a “nowor never” sentiment of compulsion and exasperation, but symbolised what needs to be called a “we are ready” moment -- stemming from preparation and inspiration. The Budget shunned populism but focused on jobs and growth, he said in an interview to leading news agency Press Trust of India. He also gave the example of ten years defence reforms that bore fruit during Operation Sindoor.The Prime Minister, thus, highlighted the importance of hard preparation to serve national purpose and achieve goals that express national aspirations.

 

There is no doubt that the Modi Government does offer to the nation a sense of planned preparation to serve different national purposes. There is a sense of looking ahead and planning for a date in the distant future when the nature of challenges would be different, when technology would be far more advanced, when people would have different kinds of anxieties, when method and manner of consumption would be different. The Prime Minister asserted that the Government has tried to address those future issues in this Budget. Obviously, a man in politics would never give up that pursuit, but Mr. Narendra Modi appears to have risen above small-term politics and has thought about long-term national goals as he and his Government scripted the Union Budget 2026. The purpose here is not to discuss the Union Budget 2026.

 

The purposeis to underline the approach of the Prime Minister to issues of national importance. Identifying national goals for different times, planning to achieve those, mobilising appropriate resources, and then implementing the preparation in practice -- have been the facets of the Prime Minister’s idea of preparation and preparedness. In the interview, he highlighted these facets correctly -- as his Government treated this Budget as an opportunity to plan well ahead of times. The very feeling that “we are ready” is truly great. At such moments, what emergesis awell-thoughtresponse to the challenges -- which is far different from the desparate “now or never” sentiment from which the element of compulsion or helplessness cannot be missed. The Prime Minister wanted to keep that sentiment of exasperation aside and prepare the nation ready for the future. This approach is different. The details of the country’s economic management can have their own interpretation. Handling those issues purely from the economic stand point and with the agreed tools of economics will have its own merit, all right. But, as the Prime Minister has indicated, he wanted the nation to be future-ready.

 

Hence the difference that thinking people cannot miss. Inthe economic management for future, technology will play a vital role. Or, in other words, future economics would never be handled effectively without factoring technologyin the toolkit of preparation and implementation. It is not without reason, therefore, that India could sign so many Free Trade Agreements with several countries in a short span of just a few months. More such agreements are on the way, indicating that more and more countries around the world recognise the soundness of Indian policies and do not want to miss the bus. The world, thus, notices every positive element in India’soverall preparedness. Leaders of some countries have already started calling India a ‘superpower’ beyond doubt. Whether India can be called a superpower at this precise moment or not, may get decided later, but suffice it is to say that the concept ofmaking country future-ready even while living in the current time, will have its very positive impact on most nations around the world.In the PTI interview, Prime Minister Mr.Narendra Modi’s confidence in the success of his approach was clearly evident.