Excelsior Correspondent
UDHAMPUR, Feb 7: The Rs 53.5 lakh crore budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is a visionary step toward making India “Atmanirbhar” (Self-Reliant).
This was stated by Member of Parliament Jugal Kishore Sharma in a press conference held here today.
While elaborating the transformative features of the Union Budget 2026-27, Sharma emphasized the budget’s massive commitment to social infrastructure, focusing specifically on health, education and women’s empowerment.
He said, “A dedicated outlay of Rs 10,000 crore has been proposed to develop a domestic ecosystem for biologics and biosimilars, specifically targeting the reduction of costs for medicines related to cancer and rare diseases.”
“Plans include setting up NIMHANS 2.0 in North India and upgrading national mental health institutes in Ranchi and Tezpur. Furthermore, emergency and trauma care capacity in district hospitals will be expanded by 50%. To bridge the gap between learning and industry, five university townships will be developed near major industrial corridors,” he said.
The MP said, “To address the safety and accessibility challenges for women in higher education, especially in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields, the Government will build one girls’ hostel at every district headquarter. This initiative aims to reduce dropout rates and support women pursuing advanced scientific research.”
Sharma also reiterated the budget’s focus on high-speed connectivity, noting the identification of seven high-speed rail corridors (including Mumbai-Pune, Delhi-Varanasi and Hyderabad-Bengaluru) and the operationalization of 20 new National Waterways.
Regarding taxation, he confirmed that the new Income Tax Act, 2025 will simplify compliance starting April 1, 2026, offering zero tax for income up to Rs 12 lakh under the new regime.
Among others who were present during the conference included, was attended by District BJP president Arun Gupta, District General Secretary and Budget In-charge Varinder Badyal, District General Secretary Sumit Gupta, Deepender Singh Romi (Minority Cell), Parsottam Singh (Kisan Morcha), Subhash Chander (SC Morcha), Nisha Mahajan (Mahila Morcha), Sushant Gupta, Vivek Gupta, Ajay Kumar Gudda and Pranav Sharma.
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