Gandhinagar, Feb 1 (IANS) Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Sunday said the Union Budget 2026–27, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, would accelerate India’s reform agenda towards becoming a developed and self-reliant nation, while delivering long-term benefits for Gujarat.
CM Patel said, “This Budget moves the reform express forward for a developed and Aatmanirbhar Bharat under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
He said the Budget, prepared at Kartavya Bhavan, is centred on three key responsibilities: sustaining economic growth, fulfilling people’s aspirations through capacity building, and ensuring inclusive development in line with the vision of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’.
“The Budget prioritises agriculture, animal husbandry and fisheries, self-help groups and the rural economy, ensuring that development reaches all sections of society,” the Chief Minister said.
He added that the pillars of ‘GYAN’ — the poor, youth, farmers, women and persons with disabilities — have been strengthened in the Budget.
“There is a clear and commendable effort to include every section and every class in the journey towards a developed India,” CM Patel said.
Welcoming announcements with direct relevance to Gujarat, CM Patel said the inclusion of Lothal and Dholavira in the national archaeological heritage cluster tourism development programme would support tourism-led growth in the state.
“Through this initiative, the concept of ‘heritage as well as development’ will be realised in Gujarat,” he said.
He also noted that the proposal to train 10,000 tourist guides for 20 iconic destinations across the country would “create new local employment opportunities at Gujarat’s iconic tourist locations”.
On urban development, the Chief Minister said the decision to develop tier-II and tier-III cities with populations above five lakh as City Economic Regions would help smaller cities grow in a planned manner.
“This announcement will give momentum to the organised development of small and medium cities in the state,” he said.
CM Patel also welcomed measures to strengthen the municipal bond market, noting that Gujarat has been a leading state in issuing municipal bonds.
“The incentives announced for municipal bonds will benefit urban local bodies in Gujarat as well,” he said.
Calling the Budget supportive of businesses across sectors, he said, “This is an encouraging Budget for everyone, from MSMEs to large industries.”
He highlighted the focus on infrastructure, manufacturing, cutting-edge technologies, semiconductors and data centres, adding that MSMEs would benefit significantly from targeted support.
He said incentives announced for manufacturing would boost Gujarat’s industrial base, while six schemes announced to stimulate the textile sector would directly benefit the state’s textile industry.
CM Patel also welcomed the announcement of three chemical parks and a Rs 10,000 crore allocation for biopharma industries, saying these would aid Gujarat’s chemical and pharmaceutical sectors.
Referring to logistics, he described the proposed Dedicated Freight Corridor connecting Surat with Dankuni in eastern India as “a masterstroke in reducing logistics costs”.
He added that the announcement of 20 new national waterways would further strengthen inland waterway connectivity.
–IANS
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