CHIEF MINISTER Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday said Gujarat’s Budget advances the state’s continuous development journey, focusing on public welfare and imposing no new tax burden on citizens.
The Opposition, however, hit out at the Budget, calling it disappointing for farmers, youth and common people and election-oriented.
CM Patel said 65 per cent of the Budget expenditure is allocated for developmental spending. The Budget is based on five pillars of social security, human resource development, infrastructure, economic growth and green growth, he said.
“Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s guidance, Gujarat consistently remains at the forefront of progressive and continuous development, bringing each of his resolutions to fruition,” he said. With ‘Adag Vishwas, Avirat Vikas’ (unwavering faith and a firm commitment to continuous development), the Budget was presented, Patel said.
“This Budget advances the state’s continuous journey of development with steadfast faith in public welfare, without imposing any new tax burden,” he said. About 65 per cent of the total outlay has been allocated for developmental purposes, Patel said.
To give new heights to the tourism sector, the year 2026 has been declared as ‘Gujarat Tourism Year’ with a Budget provision of Rs 6,500 crore, the chief minister said.
“As a result of the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home and first Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, Ahmedabad has received the opportunity to host the Commonwealth Games. For this, more than Rs 1,200 crore has been allocated in the Budget for Olympic-ready Ahmedabad with sports infrastructure and modern transport services,” he said.
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For the creation of future-ready infrastructure in the state, next-generation connectivity will be developed through an investment of Rs 800 crore in the Gujarat High-Speed Corridor. An allocation of Rs 600 crore has been made for climate-resilient and new-technology roads, he said.
“This is the era of AI and deep technology. To keep Gujarat at the forefront of AI and digital governance initiatives, more than Rs 850 crore has been allocated and a Data Fusion Centre and Centre of Excellence have been announced,” he said
Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee President Amit Chavda on Wednesday hit out at the state government over the Budget, claiming that it had “no provisions for farmers, SC/ST, OBC, minorities, widows, industries, MSMEs, government employees, etc. The Budget has crushed the hopes and expectations of the people of Gujarat.”
Chavda said, “The people of Gujarat were expecting that this double-engine government would give double benefits in the present budget of 2026-27. Among the double engine, one engine is involved in increasing inflation, and the other in rising corruption. The impact of these double engines is seen in this Budget.”
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He added, “The farmers of Gujarat are facing problems from all directions, such as crop losses due to unseasonal rainfall, not receiving the expected Minimum Support Price for their crops, and reeling under heavy debts. Some of them died by suicide. They expected this Budget to bring hope to their lives, with their debts being waived, but nothing of the sort has been included. The farmers and we have demanded that the ‘Crop Insurance Scheme’ be under the State government, but this has not been looked into. Similarly, there is a negligible increase in the amount announced in the present Budget for Social Justice for SC/ST, OBC, and Minority.”
The Budget shows no direction to abolish the system of fixed salaries, contractual agreements, and outsourcing that are prevalent in Gujarat, he said. It has dashed the hopes of ASHA and Anganwadi workers, mid-day meal workers, and others demanding equal work and equal pay, Chavda claimed.
AAP MLA Chaitar Vasava said the BJP government presented an election-oriented budget.
“It has a provision of Rs 5,425 crore for tribal development, but the allocation announced by the government every year is not being used,” said the tribal leader.
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He said the government is silent on how the shortage of rooms and teachers in schools will be tackled. “Even after the announcement of Rs 25,403 crore for the health department, there are no morgue vans, CT scan and X-ray machines in tribal areas,” he said. – WITH PTI INPUTS
