Union Budget 2026: No big-ticket announcements, but poll-bound states part of new initiatives

NEW DELHI: Finance curate Nirmala Sitharaman whitethorn not person opened the purse strings for poll-bound states successful Union Budget 2026 but she made them a portion of galore ambitious improvement initiatives similar the uncommon world corridor, dedicated freight transition and the projected high-speed obstruction networks.Assembly elections are scheduled successful West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry aboriginal this year. With the BJP going each retired to wrest Bengal from Mamata's Trinamool Congress and marque inroads successful Tamil Nadu and Kerala, determination were expectations that Nirmala Sitharaman would denote a slew of proposals with these states successful absorption similar galore times successful the past. While the Budget did not marque big-ticket state-specific announcements, determination was thing to cheer for each the poll-bound states.

So, portion Tamil Nadu got a high-speed obstruction nexus for Chennai, ecologically sustainable upland way successful Podhigai Malai successful the Western Ghats and a uncommon world corridor successful the Budget, poll-bound Bengal featured successful galore infrastructure, logistics, obstruction and tourism initiatives. Kerala recovered notation successful the discourse of uncommon earths and the turtle trail.West BengalA cardinal announcement for West Bengal was the connection to make a caller dedicated freight corridor from Dankuni successful West Bengal to Surat successful Gujarat, aimed astatine promoting environmentally sustainable and businesslike question of cargo.

The corridor is expected to importantly trim logistics costs for industries successful eastbound India, and amended connectivity betwixt the eastbound and occidental markets.In different large push, Sitharaman said the Centre volition make an Integrated East Coast Industrial Corridor, with a well-connected concern node astatine Durgapur, a cardinal manufacturing hub successful West Bengal. The task is expected to fortify the state's relation successful the Centre's 'Purvodaya' imaginativeness for accelerating concern maturation successful eastbound India.The Budget besides projected the instauration of 5 tourism destinations crossed the 5 'Purvodaya' states, including West Bengal, to boost employment and determination development. To enactment sustainable municipality mobility successful these regions, the authorities besides said it volition marque a proviso for 4,000 electrical buses.To boost obstruction connectivity, Sitharaman announced plans to make 7 high-speed obstruction corridors crossed the country, with 1 of the projected routes linking Varanasi successful Uttar Pradesh and Siliguri successful bluish West Bengal.

The corridor is expected to importantly chopped question time, and heighten economical and strategical integration of northbound Bengal with the remainder of the country.West Bengal main curate Mamata Banerjee described the Union Budget for 2026-27 arsenic a “directionless and visionless Humpty Dumpty”, claiming that it had thing to connection to the communal antheral and her state. “This Budget is directionless, visionless, actionless and anti-people.

It is besides anti-women, anti-farmer, anti-education and against the SC, ST and OBC... There is thing connected connection for Bengal... successful the Humpty Dumpty budget," she said.“For West Bengal, what person they fixed (in the Budget)? Nothing. They speech big, but connection nothing,” Mamata added.Tamil NaduTamil Nadu got a high-speed obstruction nexus for Chennai, ecologically sustainable upland way successful Podhigai Malai successful the Western Ghats and a uncommon world corridor.

Bird watching trails on the Pulikat water and improvement of the archaeological tract of Adichanallur into a vibrant, experiential taste destinations were among the different announcements for the poll-bound state.In Adichanallur, excavated landscapes volition beryllium opened to the nationalist done curated walkways. Immersive storytelling skills and technologies volition beryllium introduced to assistance conservation labs, mentation centres, and guides.Sitharaman besides announced that Hyderabad-Chennai and Chennai-Bengaluru volition beryllium portion of the 7 high-speed obstruction corridors betwixt cities arsenic maturation connectors. Tamil Nadu is besides 1 of the cardinal states that volition beryllium portion of the dedicated uncommon world corridor to beforehand mining, processing, probe and manufacturing. The Centre had successful November 2025 launched a strategy for Rare Earth Permanent Magnets. The projected corridor is an hold of that effort.India has the imaginable and accidental to connection world-class trekking and hiking experience. Ecologically sustainable upland way volition beryllium developed successful Podhigai Malai successful the Western Ghats. Also, vertebrate watching trails volition beryllium developed on the Pulikat water which covers some Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, concern curate Nirmala Sitharaman announced successful her speech.Tamil Nadu, which is location to thousands of temples and pilgrimage centres similar Rameswaram and has respective temple-towns including Madurai, Kancheepuram and Kumbakonam, volition besides payment from the initiatives announced successful the Budget.KeralaKerala volition beryllium portion of "rare world corridors" and "Turtle Trails" announced successful Budget 2026. The "Turtle Trails" would beryllium established on cardinal nesting sites successful coastal regions aimed astatine conservation and eco-tourism. The dedicated Rare Earth Corridors purpose to boost mining, processing, probe and manufacturing successful the sector.The authorities recovered small other to cheer, with respective long-anticipated projects missing from Centre's plans.

The authorities was not included successful the projected high-speed obstruction corridors, portion neighbouring Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana featured successful the web expansion.Kerala's ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) criticised Budget 2026, saying it near the authorities mostly sidelined.Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor said "There was a notation to an All India Institute of Ayurveda being established, but not immoderate denotation arsenic to where.

Kerala would ideate that, arsenic a large centre of Ayurveda, it should beryllium a logical place, but they haven't promised america that." "Even erstwhile coconuts and cashews were talked about, the authorities wasn't mentioned. So, I americium assuming that immoderate of these subheadings she spoke astir volition construe into factual projects and programmes for us....but wherever details came, we had crushed for disappointment, for example, vessel repair for inland waterways, they are parking them successful Varanasi and Patna contempt Kerala having truthful galore rivers and inland waterways," helium added.AssamAssam hopes to payment from the Union Budget's thrust connected infrastructure improvement of Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, arsenic good arsenic the announcement of Buddhist Circuits. The absorption connected MSMEs volition beryllium advantageous for the poll-bound state, which has a ample fig of tiny and mean enterprises, said officials.The connection for mounting up a Buddhist Circuit successful the region, including Assam, besides features successful the Union Budget for 2026-27.

The strategy volition screen preservation of temples and monasteries, pilgrimage mentation centers, connectivity and pilgrim amenities."The North-Eastern Region is simply a civilisational confluence of Theravada and Mahayana/Vajrayana traditions. I suggest to motorboat a strategy for improvement of Buddhist Circuits successful Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura," Sitharaman said.The Budget besides proposes instauration of 5 tourism destinations successful the 5 'Purvodaya' states and proposes to upgrade the National Mental Health Institutes successful Tezpur arsenic a Regional Apex Institution.In a bid of X posts, Assam main minsiter Himanta Biswa Sarma listed retired respective points from the Union Budget and asserted that the authorities is going to summation successful galore aspects."The announcement of Self-Help Marts (SHE-Marts) volition further fortify Assam's efforts towards gathering a robust ecosystem of Lakhpati Didis nether #MMUA," Sarma said.The main curate maintained that the accent connected skilling successful the Budget aligns with Assam's imaginativeness to look arsenic a trusted hub for skilled professionals successful healthcare, AI and different allied sectors. "This Budget provides Rs 2 lakh crore nether the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment, which volition accelerate infrastructure activities successful Assam," helium added.