Sitharaman said that people were finding current interest rates 'very stressful' and that banks ought to make them affordable. It is obvious that banks will not unilaterally cut lending rates until the RBI trims the repo from its current level of 6.

Regarding small businesses, Sitharaman set ambitious lending targets for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), including a target of Rs 6.12 lakh crore for FY26 and Rs 7 lakh crore for FY27, in addition to the Rs 5.

On inflation, FM Nirmala Sitharaman says a set of three or four perishable commodities is driving the headline inflation, currently, and the rest of it, the core items, are at manageable levels of three or four per cent.