Page 35 - NIS English 16-28 Feb, 2026

COVER STORY BUDGET
Environment-Friendly Cargo
Transportation
A new dedicated freight corridor will
be built from Dankuni in the east to
Surat in the west (2052 km long).
20 new National Waterways (NW)
will be launched in the next 5 years,
starting with NW-5 in Odisha, to
connect mineral-rich areas like Talcher
and Angul and industrial centres like
Kalinganagar to Paradip and Dhamra
ports.
Training institutes will be established
as regional centres of excellence to
develop manpower for waterways,
benefiting the youth. A ship repair
facility will be established in Varanasi- n A scheme will be launched to strengthen
Patna to meet the needs of inland
waterways.
The share of waterways and coastal
transport will be increased from 6% to
12% by 2047, for which a coastal cargo
promotion scheme will be launched.
Indigenous manufacturing of seaplanes
will be promoted to connect last-mile
and remote areas and boost tourism. A
seaplane VGF scheme will be launched
to support operations.
Carbon Capture Utilisa-
tion and Storage (CCUS)
In line with the roadmap launched in
December 2025, large-scale CCUS tech-
nologies are proposed for five industrial
sectors, including power, steel, cement,
and chemicals, with an outlay of
₹20,000 crore over the
next five years
UNION
2026-27
Infrastructure Risk Guarantee
Fund to be Established
n Dedicated REITs will be established to accelerate the
recycling of significant real estate assets of CPSEs.
n The government continues to focus on infrastructure
development in cities with a population of over 5
lakh (Tier-II and Tier-III cities).
n An Infrastructure Risk Guarantee Fund will be established
to strengthen the confidence of private developers in
infrastructure development and construction and to
provide partial loan guarantees to lenders.
n High-tech tool rooms will be established at 2
locations as digitally enabled automated service
bureaus by CPSEs.
the domestic production of high-value and
technologically advanced construction and
infrastructure equipment (CIE).
n A container manufacturing scheme is also proposed to
create a globally competitive container manufacturing
ecosystem with a budgetary
allocation of
₹10,000
crore over a period
of 5 years.
Urban Economic Zones
Cities are the engines of India’s growth, innovation,
and opportunities. We will now also focus on Tier
II and Tier III cities and pilgrimage towns, which
require modern infrastructure and basic amenities. To
harness the economic power and further enhance the
potential of cities, an allocation of ₹5000 crore per
urban economic zone over 5 years is proposed for
implementing their plans through a challenge mode.
February 16-28, 2026 || NEW INDIA SAMACHAR 33