New Delhi, Feb. 9 -- Budget 2026 has proposed accelerating the 'recycling' of real estate assets owned by central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) by creating dedicated Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). In her Budget speech on 1 February, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that REITs have emerged as a successful tool for asset monetisation and that the government plans to leverage them to unlock the value of significant CPSE real estate holdings.

Real estate experts say pooling government-owned land and properties into REITs could unlock large, prime assets in key cities. For retail investors, this could open up access to high-quality, income-generating real estate, offering the twin benefits of regular yields and potential l...