Page 34 - NIS English 16-28 Feb, 2026

COVER STORY BUDGET
UNION

2026-27

India of the Future
Growth will

be driven by

infrastructure

The biggest measure of development for any
country or state is considered to be its capital
budget. The higher the government capex,
the more work will be done on development
and infrastructure. In the last 11 years, under
the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, not only has the capital expenditure
for public infrastructure been increased
from ₹2 lakh crore to ₹12.2 lakh crore, but
infrastructure development has also been
carried out on a large scale...

Infrastructure budget increased sixfold ₹12.2 ₹11.2 lakh crore
₹2

lakh crore
lakh crore
2014-15
2025-26
2026-27

Seven high-speed rail corridors are to be developed, bringing cities closer
Union Budget 2026-27 n The South High-Speed Corridor will benefit Karnataka,
Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and
Allocates a record capital expenditure (capex) of Puducherry.
crore to Indian Railways,
₹2,93,030 the highest ever. The high-speed rail corridor, ₹16
spanning approximately 4,000
kilometres, is expected to attract
n Railways is focusing its expenditure on high-speed an investment of around lakh crore
connectivity, freight transport, and safety.
n The proposed corridor will reduce travel time between
n Chennai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad will form the South cities. It will facilitate seamless, multi-modal movement
High-Speed Diamond. This will for passengers.
prove to be a great boon for
5 South Indian states – Mumbai - Pune Chennai - Bengaluru
Karnataka, Telangana, Pune - Hyderabad Delhi - Varanasi
Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad - Bengaluru Varanasi – Siliguri
Tamil Nadu, Kerala will be developed.
and Puducherry. Hyderabad - Chennai