Jalgaon: The 2026-27 Union Budget is a historic step towards making India a developed nation by 2047. This budget focuses on four pillars: youth power, women, farmers, and the poor. Revolutionary provisions have been made in this budget for the all-round development of Maharashtra and to make the state an economic superpower. Maharashtra will become the backbone of the country's economy through self-reliant defence and smart city development, stated Union Minister of State for Sports and Youth Welfare, Raksha Khadse, while speaking at a press conference on Saturday, 7th February evening.
Union Minister of State Raksha Khadse said that special priority has been given to the Union Ministry of Youth Welfare and Sports in this budget. She expressed satisfaction that training opportunities have been provided to the youth through the PM Internship Scheme (Rs. 4788 crore) and Skill India (Rs. 2800 crore). Raksha Khadse said that content creator labs will be set up in 15,000 schools, and 10,000 guides will be given special training. To empower the sports sector, new employment opportunities will be created by promoting the production of sports equipment in India.
She said that a total of Rs. 1,62,671 crore has been allocated for the agriculture sector, and new agro-clusters have been announced for the processing of cotton and banana crops in Jalgaon district. Raksha Khadse also informed that special government hostels will be started in every district, and She-Marts will be started in rural areas for the empowerment of women. Raksha Khadse laid special emphasis on self-reliance in the defence sector.
Raksha Khadse stated that the special concessions given to startups and MSMEs in the defence sector will directly benefit technology hubs like Pune in Maharashtra and small-scale industries in rural areas. She added that a fund of ₹40,000 crore has been allocated under the Semiconductor Mission 2.0 and ₹10,000 crore to make India a global biopharma hub, expressing confidence that this will create employment opportunities for IT hubs and startups in the state. Finally, Raksha Khadse expressed the sentiment that this budget, prepared under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will prove to be a milestone in achieving the goals of a developed Maharashtra and a developed India.
