Page 20 - NIS English 16-28 Feb, 2026

COVER STORY BUDGET
UNION

2026-27

AN ALL-ENCOMPASSING UNION BUDGET
The all-encompassing, inclusive Union Budget for
2026-27, dedicated to the holistic welfare of every
citizen and every sector of the country, serves as a
steadfast means to achieve the resolve for a self-reli-
ant and developed India – a resolve that is not merely a
slogan but a commitment to making India a developed
nation by 2047. This budget not only provides a clear
blueprint for empowering every sector, every class,
and every citizen, but also offers a vision to encourage
and support them at every step. This Union Budget, re-
flecting the resolve for a developed India, is a vision for
building an India that is a leader in every field globally.
From manufacturing to infrastructure, from healthcare
to tourism, from rural areas to artificial intelligence,
from sports to the development of pilgrimage sites,
this budget is dedicated to empowering and fulfilling
the dreams of the youth, women, and farmers in every
village, town, and city.
This Union Budget presents India as a nation that is
forging a new identity, one that has unwavering faith in
its own strength and is emerging as a rising economic
powerhouse. Post-Covid, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s visionary economic policies have given a new
impetus to the Indian economy. This budget is set to
further accelerate that momentum. It will help establish promote cashew and cocoa production and export, and
India as the most attractive investment destination conserve sandalwood demonstrates that the new India
on the global stage, whether in traditional sectors or is fully committed to the prosperity of farmers and to
new-age industries. This budget includes a far-sighted making agriculture a profitable business. This budget
decision to increase farmers’ income through livestock. will take connectivity in India to new heights. The Union
Increasing the number of veterinarians and expanding Budget has announced seven high-speed rail corridors,
veterinary centers and training centers will strengthen which will connect cities faster by reducing travel time
the livestock-based economy. Decisions such as pro- between major economic and population centers.
viding credit-linked subsidies for the dairy and poultry
sectors, promoting fisheries through the development A VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF INDIA
of 500 reservoirs, and providing access to global markets This budget is also synonymous with the policy integ-
will prove to be milestones in the current central rity of the central government led by Prime Minister
government’s commitment to increasing farmers’ Narendra Modi, as populist announcements in budgets
income. A historic decision has been taken to launch presented before elections had become a tradition.
the ‘Mahatma Gandhi Gram Swaraj Yojana’ to realize However, instead of making populist announcements,
Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of village self-governance. this budget prioritizes a long-term perspective and the
This will strengthen the rural economy and provide new “Nation First” approach. It is a result of the new policies
impetus to weavers, farmers, and the handloom indus- of the new India that the central government has lifted
try. The decision to benefit 30 million farmers through approximately 250 million people out of poverty in the
the Coconut Promotion Scheme in coastal areas, last 11 years, while the economy is growing rapidly. This

18 NEW INDIA SAMACHAR || February 16-28, 2026