Viksit Bharat Budget 2026: Four Pillars Driving India's Growth

Union Budget 2026: Charting the Course for a Developed India

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's Union Budget 2026-27 lays out a clear and ambitious economic roadmap, firmly anchored in the long-term vision of 'Viksit Bharat'—a developed India by 2047. The budget prioritises structural reforms, sustained public investment, and inclusive growth, moving away from short-term populism to focus on building long-term national capacity. It is built upon four key pillars designed to accelerate and sustain economic growth: a continued thrust on infrastructure, a decisive push for domestic manufacturing, empowerment of the youth, and strengthening the agricultural and rural economy.

Pillar 1: Infrastructure as the Engine of Growth

Continuing its strategy of public investment-led growth, the government has set a capital expenditure (capex) target of ₹12.2 lakh crore for FY27. This sustained high level of spending is designed to improve logistics, reduce business costs, and crowd in private investment. The budget outlines several flagship infrastructure projects to enhance connectivity and mobility.

Key initiatives include the development of seven new high-speed rail corridors, connecting major economic hubs like Mumbai-Pune, Hyderabad-Bengaluru, and Delhi-Varanasi. To further streamline freight movement, a new dedicated freight corridor connecting Dankuni in the east to Surat in the west is proposed. The budget also aims to significantly boost inland waterways and coastal shipping, with a promotion scheme to increase its share in freight movement from 6% to 12% by 2047 and plans to operationalise 20 new national waterways.

To de-risk these large-scale projects and attract private capital, the government announced the creation of an Infrastructure Risk Guarantee Fund, which will provide partial credit guarantees to lenders.

Pillar 2: A Decisive Push for Domestic Manufacturing

Aligned with the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' (Self-reliant India) mission, Budget 2026 introduces targeted interventions to establish India as a global manufacturing hub and reduce critical import dependencies. The strategy focuses on both high-tech, strategic sectors and labour-intensive industries.

In a major boost for high-tech manufacturing, the budget announced the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) 2.0, expanding its scope to include semiconductor equipment, materials, and full-stack Indian intellectual property. The outlay for the electronics components manufacturing scheme has also been substantially increased to ₹40,000 crore. Furthermore, the 'Biopharma Shakti' mission has been launched with a ₹10,000 crore outlay to drive innovation in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, addressing the country's rising burden of non-communicable diseases.

To secure strategic supply chains, the budget proposes dedicated rare earth corridors in mineral-rich states and a ₹20,000 crore outlay for scaling up carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) technologies. For labour-intensive sectors, an integrated program for textiles, including a National Fibre Scheme and mega textile parks, aims to modernise clusters and boost employment. A ₹10,000 crore container manufacturing scheme is also proposed to build a globally competitive ecosystem.

Key Budget Allocations and Initiatives

Initiative/Sector	Key Announcement/Allocation	Objective
Public Capex	Target of ₹12.2 lakh crore for FY27	To drive infrastructure-led growth and attract private investment.
Biopharma	'Biopharma Shakti' mission with ₹10,000 crore outlay	To boost innovation in biopharmaceuticals and address NCDs.
Electronics	Scheme outlay increased to ₹40,000 crore	To deepen domestic value addition in electronics components.
Climate Tech	₹20,000 crore outlay for CCUS	To scale up carbon capture technologies in key industrial sectors.
MSMEs	₹10,000 crore SME Growth Fund	To provide equity support and create 'champion' micro-enterprises.
Logistics	₹10,000 crore container manufacturing scheme	To build a self-reliant and competitive container manufacturing ecosystem.

Pillar 3: Empowering 'Yuva Shakti' for a Future-Ready India

The budget places significant emphasis on 'Yuva Shakti' (youth power), recognising that India's demographic dividend is central to achieving its long-term goals. The focus is on creating a robust ecosystem that links education and skilling directly to employment and entrepreneurship.

A high-powered committee will be established to recommend measures for making India a global services leader, with a specific mandate to assess the impact of AI on jobs and propose interventions for skilling. To foster talent in emerging creative industries, the budget proposes setting up Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics (AVGC) content creator labs in 15,000 schools and 500 colleges. Additionally, the government will support states in creating five university townships near major industrial corridors to foster synergy between academia and industry.

Pillar 4: Strengthening the Rural and Agricultural Foundation

With nearly half of India's workforce engaged in agriculture, strengthening the rural economy remains a cornerstone of the Viksit Bharat vision. The budget moves beyond traditional support to promote high-value agriculture and leverage technology for productivity gains.

Dedicated programs will promote the cultivation and processing of high-value crops like coconut, cashew, cocoa, and sandalwood. To empower farmers with modern tools, the 'Bharat Vistar' platform—a multilingual AI tool—will be launched to provide customised advisory support and reduce farm risk. The budget also provides a strong push for allied sectors, announcing a credit-linked subsidy program to support entrepreneurship in animal husbandry and an initiative for the integrated development of 500 reservoirs to strengthen the fisheries value chain.

Economic Outlook and Fiscal Prudence

These ambitious pillars are supported by a stable macroeconomic foundation. The budget projects a growth rate of around 7%, supported by strong domestic demand and public investment. The government has also reiterated its commitment to fiscal consolidation, aiming to follow a steady glide path to reduce the fiscal deficit and the public debt-to-GDP ratio, ensuring that the growth agenda is both ambitious and sustainable.

Conclusion

Union Budget 2026-27 is a statement of continuity and conviction. It builds upon the government's long-term economic strategy, focusing on capital expenditure, domestic manufacturing, and inclusive development as the core drivers of the 'Viksit Bharat' agenda. The success of this roadmap will now depend on diligent execution and translating these policy outlays into tangible economic outcomes that benefit all sections of society.