Budget 2026-27: Top highlights from Finance Minister’s budget speech

📌 Finance Minister proposed Mahatma Gandhi Gram Swaraj initiative to strengthen Khadi handloom. “I propose to set up mega textile parks in challenge mode. I propose to launch the Mahatma Gandhi Gram Swaraj initiative to strengthen Khadi and handloom,” she said.

📌 Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed a National Fibre Scheme for self-sufficiency in the space.

📌 Sitharaman proposed to top up Self Reliance India Fund with Rs 4,000 cr in FY27 to support MSMEs.

📌 The FM in her speech said that the government will continue to develop infrastructure in Tier 2, Tier 3 cities.

📌 Proposed setting up of a high level committee on banking for Viksit Bharat to review the sector and align it with india’s next phase of growth.

📌 FM proposed developing 7 high speed corridors between cities as growth connectors. These are: Mumbai-Pune, Pune-Hyderabad, Hyderabad-Bangalore, Hyderabad-Chennai, Chennai-Bangalore, , Delhi-Varanasi, and Varanasi-Siliguri.

📌 Sitharaman said that close to 25 cr people have come out of multi-dimensional poverty

📌 Three new all India Insititute of Ayuveda.

📌 Sitharaman proposed an outlay of Rs 20,000 crores over the next 5 years in Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) technologies to scale up and achieve higher readiness levels in end-use applications across.

📌 FM proposed upgradation of Ayush pharmacies and drug testing labs, WHO Traditional Medicine Centre at Jamanagar.

📌 On education, the finance minister proposed that Center will support 5 university townships in vicinity of major industrial logistics centres.

📌 Khelo India mission to transform the sports sector over the next decade: FM
– Integrated talent development pathway
– Systematic development of coaches and support staff
– Encourage competitions, leagues and training

📌 Govt to launch pilot scheme to upgrade skills of 10,000 guides at 20 iconic tourist sites. Develop ecologically sustainable trails in Himachal Pradesh, Utttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir.

📌 Finance Minister Sitharaman proposed setting up a girls hostel in every district of the country.

📌 Development of an integrated East Coast industrial corridor with a well-connected node at Durgapur. Creation of 5 tourism destinations in 5 Purvodaya States and the provision of e-buses to Buddhist sites in the North Eastern region.

📌 To support women entrepreneurship, the finance minister proposed setting up of Self-Help Entrepreneur (SHE) Marts.

📌 To address lack of wide mental health care access in North India, Sitharaman announces a Nimhans 2, and upgradation of institutes in Ranchi and Tezpur.

📌 Finance Minister Sitharaman raised public capital expenditure (capex) to Rs 12.2 lakh crore for FY 2026–27, up from Rs 11.2 lakh crore allocated for the ongoing financial year, to boost infrastructure in the country.

📌 Exemption of custom duty on 17 drugs and medicines.