Emphasis on school children’s nutrition, Simhastha Mahaparv prep: What Madhya Pradesh’s record Budget has in store

The Budget earmarks a substantial Rs 1.27 lakh crore for women-centric welfare schemes, with Rs 23,882 crore allocated to the Ladli Behna programme alone, underlining the government’s continued emphasis on direct income support. It also proposes the construction of 5,700 hostels for working women and the recruitment of 15,000 teachers, signalling parallel investments in social infrastructure and employment.

In the rural economy, farmers have been promised one lakh solar pumps to reduce energy costs and improve irrigation reliability. The Budget sets aside Rs 12,690 crore for road repairs, Rs 4,454 crore for the Jal Jeevan Mission, and a significant Rs 40,062 crore for Panchayat and Rural Development — allocations that take on added political and administrative significance as the state heads towards local body elections in 2027.

Urban infrastructure also received a substantial push. Under the newly proposed Dwarkanagar Scheme, the government has set an investment target of Rs 5,000 crore over three years to accelerate ward-level development in urban local bodies. The Budget provides Rs 2,316 crore for urban housing, Rs 349 crore for city road repairs, Rs 3,467 crore under AMRUT 2.0, and Rs 1,057 crore in 2026–27 as a one-time grant to urban local bodies for basic civic services, reflecting a renewed focus on city-level delivery rather than only flagship projects.

With 2026 declared Farmer Welfare Year, agriculture and allied sectors emerged as one of the biggest gainers, receiving allocations exceeding Rs 1.15 lakh crore. The government said the emphasis would be on raising farm incomes, improving productivity and strengthening income security, reinforcing agriculture’s centrality to the state’s economic strategy.

Infrastructure development was projected as the Budget’s principal growth engine. A record capital outlay of over Rs 1.06 lakh crore has been proposed, factoring in extra-budgetary resources, underscoring the government’s belief that sustained public investment is critical to long-term growth and employment generation. Social sectors also saw steady increases, with Rs 31,953 crore earmarked for education, Rs 24,144 crore for health, and Rs 49,365 crore for improving overall living standards.

A major fiscal and administrative focus was reserved for preparations for the Simhastha, one of Hinduism’s most significant religious congregations, to be held in Ujjain. The government has approved works worth Rs 13,851 crore for the event, including the six-laning of the Indore–Ujjain road at an estimated cost of Rs 1,164 crore, a Rs 1,370 crore Indore–Ujjain Greenfield Highway, and a Rs 701-crore Ujjain bypass. For 2026–27 alone, a provision of Rs 3,060 crore has been made, with the government stressing time-bound execution to ensure smooth, dignified and large-scale management of the global event.