Budget is widely seen as a test of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A plunge of nearly half in oil prices could help Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley reap a fiscal windfall of at least $12 billion.

India's industrial output unexpectedly contracted 4.2 percent year-on-year in October, dragged down by a fall in the manufacturing and the capital goods sector, government data showed on Friday.

The government holds stakes ranging from 56% to 84% in 27 state-run banks.

Govt keen to dilute stake in state banks.

Official GDP data for the second quarter of the current fiscal year ending March are due to for release this Friday.

In a speech, Jaitley said that while he expected to hit targeted levels for direct taxes, reaching the goal for indirect taxes would be a "challenge".

Road projects alone worth $10 billion face delays over land disputes and other clearances.

October shipments to India, the world's No.2 gold consumer behind China, jumped to about 150 tonnes from less than 25 tonnes a year earlier and 143 tonnes in September, a finance ministry official said last week.

Officials say a fall in global oil prices will reduce the government's subsidy burden, giving it a greater chance of hitting its ambitious fiscal deficit target of 4.1 percent of gross domestic product in the fiscal year to March.

BJP's success in two state elections gave Modi room to cut through a thicket of regulations and state controls.

Lower crude prices mean less government outlay for India,

Power and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal warned that it would take years to alleviate coal supply shortages, which have reduced stocks at thermal power stations to their lowest since a huge blackout in 2012 cut off 620 million people.

ndia has said it is ready to sign the global trade deal as early as next month if other WTO members agree to its demand for concessions on food subsidies.

Introduced in 2012, the General Anti-Avoidance Rules, were aimed at companies routing money through tax havens such as Mauritius, but implementation was delayed after an uproar from investors who feared harassment from tax authorities.

Modi, who was sworn in on Monday after a landslide election victory, has completed his government team.

Politically, it will not be easy for Modi to take hard decisions such as raising fuel prices in the first budget, given the risk of higher inflation.

As part of the charm offensive, New Delhi has invited global regulators -- including the FDA -- to visit Indian production units to get first-hand evidence of measures taken to ensure the quality of locally manufactured generics.

A Priority Foreign Country is a status reserved for those nations that are the most egregious violators of intellectual property rights and have the most negative impact on US competitiveness abroad.

A panel has recommended that the RBI should bring down CPI inflation to 4 per cent.