Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget 2026 seems to be more focused on manufacturing and long-term growth than on instant price relief for consumers. But if you look closely, the Budget will quietly help bring down the cost of home appliances like microwave oven and other consumer electronics in the coming months.
While there is no direct tax cut on finished appliances, the government has targeted something more important — the cost of making these products in India.
One of the key announcements in Budget 2026 is the exemption of basic customs duty on certain parts used to manufacture microwave ovens. This may sound limited but it is a strong signal for the larger home appliance industry.
Most appliances sold in India still depend on imported components. When these parts attract high duties, the final product automatically becomes expensive. By reducing or removing duty on key components, manufacturers can lower production costs, especially for products assembled in India.
Over time, this can help brands price appliances more competitively.
Why Appliances May Benefit Faster Than Phones
Unlike smartphones, many home appliances already have higher local manufacturing and assembly levels in India. Products like microwaves rely more on local supply chains.
Budget 2026 Decoded: Full List of What Gets Cheaper and What Costs More
This means cost savings from duty relief can reach consumers faster in appliances than in smartphones, which still depend heavily on imported parts like chipsets and displays.
What Expert Are Saying
According to Faisal Kawoosa, Founder, Techarc, the proposal to double the outlay for Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme to 40,000 crore is directionally a very positive and logical step to give further impetus to the domestic electronics manufacturing. By increasing the outlay from 22,919 crore to 40,000 crore, it will incentivise the existing players to deepen their manufacturing capability by investing in increasing the domestic value addition.
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“At the same, it will attract new players to widen the scope of electronics manufacturing in India to include more products. So this money should help widen and deepen the electronics manufacturing in India,” Kawoosa said.
In simple words, appliances are better placed to benefit from Budget 2026 than premium phones.
Consumers should not expect prices to fall overnight. Budget 2026 is not designed for sudden price cuts. Instead, it focuses on making domestic manufacturing cheaper and smoother.
