Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna on Sunday praised the 2026-27 Union Budget, calling it the “Yuva Shakti” Budget and stating it will foster balanced development in the state, accelerate infrastructure projects, attract investment, create jobs, and promote tourism.
Speaking to ANI, Khanna said, “Nirmala Sitharaman presented the 2026-27 budget today and specifically called it the ‘Yuva Shakti’ Budget. This budget will give a new direction to the overall balanced and rapid development of Uttar Pradesh. Additionally, the increase in capital expenditure will accelerate the development of expressways, industrial corridors, logistic hubs, railways, and urban infrastructure in Uttar Pradesh.”
He further praised Finance Minister Sitharaman for promoting tourism, adding, “This will open the doors to investment and create employment opportunities… We especially thank Nirmala ji for promoting tourism.”
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her ninth consecutive Union Budget to the Lok Sabha on Sunday.
As part of an environmentally sustainable passenger system initiative, seven high-speed rail corridors between cities will be developed as ‘growth connectors’: Mumbai-Pune, Pune-Hyderabad, Hyderabad-Bengaluru, Hyderabad-Chennai, Chennai-Bengaluru, Delhi-Varanasi, and Varanasi-Siliguri.
Earlier on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the Union Budget 2026-27 as a “strong foundation” for India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat 2047, asserting that it will energise and accelerate the “reform express” currently underway.
Addressing the nation, PM Modi stated, “This Budget is a strong foundation for the flight to the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. This Budget will provide fresh energy and speed to the ‘reform express’ on which India is riding today. The path-breaking reforms provide an open sky to the courageous, talented youth of India. Our effort has been to continuously strengthen skill, scale, and sustainability.”
He emphasised that citizens are the greatest asset and highlighted the government’s unprecedented investments to enhance their capabilities.
However, opposition parties, including the Congress and DMK, criticised the budget, arguing that it fails to address the concerns of states and ordinary citizens.