Tariff 64 times, reforms 29 times… buzzwords in Sitharaman’s Budget 2026 speech

The Union Budget 2026-27 speech revealed a sharp shift in emphasis, with “tariff” emerging as the most repeated policy word at 64 mentions, followed by “reforms” appearing 29 times, while “development” and “investment” were each used 28 times.

The word “infrastructure” featured 20 times, “growth” 10 times and “cities” five times.

In the Union Budget 2025, the word “tax” dominated with 65 mentions, while “development” appeared 25 times and “investment” 21 times.

References to “digital” rose to eight mentions from five last year, while “artificial intelligence” entered the speech twice.

“Youth” was cited 10 times and “women” six times.

The word “tax” peaked at 232 mentions in 2020, the highest between 2019 and 2026, while “investment” was used most frequently in 2019, and “infrastructure” and “capital” saw peak usage in 2021.

Sitharaman presented her ninth consecutive budget on Sunday. “We embark on a journey to unlock our nation’s tremendous potential for greater prosperity and global positioning,” the finance minister said.