State Budgets

Siddaramaiah vows to stay on as Karnataka CM amid leadership tussle

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday asserted that he would continue in office and also present state budgets in the future. His statement comes amidst an intense power struggle in the ruling Congress, with the D K Shivakumar camp mounting pressure on the party high command for a leadership change. At least 15 MLAs and about a dozen MLCs have camped in New Delhi to push the party leadership to make Shivakumar the next Chief Minister, Congress sources said. According to reports, the demand is based on a power-sharing agreement reached in 2023, under which Siddaramaiah was to serve as the CM for two and a half years (till November 20) before making way for Shivakumar. Responding to a query on some MLAs and MLCs camping in Delhi, he said the Congress High Command has to decide on the leadership change, cabinet reshuffle or government restructuring. Has High Command spoken on it? We can't help it. Earlier also some people were discussing it, and now they might have gone (to

Bihar elections: NDA's vision of Viksit Bihar faces fiscal roadblocks

The NDA's big mandate and its 'Viksit Bihar' agenda face fiscal strain as the state struggles with low capital outlay and a heavy revenue burden

20 states spent 27% of capital expenditure in April-August: CAG data

States spent 27% of FY26 budgeted capex in April-August, with Telangana leading and Tripura lagging, even as rising borrowings raise fiscal concerns

Will 2026 Census-based delimitation shrink South India's voice in LS?

With delimitation tied to the 2026 Census, southern states risk losing seats despite leading in population control and contributing heavily to the economy

Sikkim CM presents Rs 16,196 cr Budget for 2025-26 with focus on growth

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang on Wednesday presented in the assembly a budget of Rs 16,196 crore for the 2025-26 fiscal with a focus on empowering youth, uplifting farmers, investing in infrastructure and ensuring financial discipline. The budget comprises Rs 11,028 crore of revenue expenditure and Rs 5,168 crore of capital outlay. The devolution of taxes from the Centre was estimated at Rs 5,519 crore, a leading source of receipts, along with Rs 2,600 crore that the central government will provide to Sikkim as grants and aids in 2025-26, said Tamang, who also holds the finance portfolio. The state government will generate its own tax revenue worth Rs 2,076 crore and non-tax revenue to the tune of Rs 1,007 crore, he said, adding that Rs 2,651 crore will be raised through borrowing. The chief minister said that a provision of Rs 2,896 crore has been made in the next fiscal year's budget for the state government's contributions to the centrally sponsored schemes with a goal

Punjab govt unveils ₹2.36 trn Budget, announces first-ever 'drug census'

Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Wednesday presented a Rs 2.36 lakh crore FY26 Budget for the state, focussing on tackling drug menace, and the health sector. During his budget speech, Cheema talked about AAP-led Punjab government's anti-drug campaign to check drug scourge. Cheema said the Punjab government is going to carry out the first-ever "drug census" in Punjab to understand the prevalence of drugs, usage of de-addiction centres etc. He said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's visionary leadership has been the driving force behind Punjab's remarkable progress over the past three years. Cheema proposed total budget expenditure of Rs 2,36,080 crore for FY 2025-26. He said the state government will establish a second line of defence at border by deploying 5,000 home guards alongside BSF. Cheema said, for the first time in Punjab's history, the Bhagwant Mann government has decided to extend the state health insurance scheme in the coming fiscal year to make it universal

Chhattisgarh passes Rs 1.65 trillion Budget, focuses on welfare, jobs

The Chhattisgarh assembly on Thursday passed the state's budget for the financial year 2025-26. The state government has presented a Rs 1,65,000 crore budget for the fiscal 2025-26, proposing substantial funding for welfare schemes related to women, food security, while allocating Rs 10,000 crore for boosting farm prosperity. The government has been working towards the development of the state, empowerment of women, welfare of farmers and increasing employment opportunities while maintaining financial discipline, finance minister OP Chaudhary said while answering to the discussions on Chhattisgarh Appropriation Bill, 2025. After the discussion, the appropriation bill was passed with a voice vote in the House. "Chhattisgarh is among the top three states in the country in terms of GST growth. There has been a 20 per cent increase in registration fee and a historic increase has also been reported in transport and excise revenue. The Mukhyamantri Mobile Tower Yojana is being introduced

Freebie debate: Growing debt is forcing states to rethink poll promises

Increasing debt burdens are forcing states to reassess poll-time welfare promises, as fiscal constraints make it harder to sustain freebie-driven policies amid growing financial pressures

Telangana GSDP grows at 10%; exceeds Rs 16 trn: Socio Economic Outlook 2025

Telangana's economy witnessed a robust expansion in fiscal 2024-25 with its Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) at current prices valued at Rs 16.12 lakh crore, reflecting a growth rate of 10 per cent, said Socio Economic Outlook for 2025. Its per capita income for 2024-25 at current prices is estimated at Rs 3.79 lakh, growing at 9.6 per cent and indicating an overall improvement in living standards, employment opportunities and economic development, said the Economic Outlook on Wednesday. "The state's economy has witnessed robust expansion, particularly in the IT sector, driven by strategic budgetary allocations for industry and technology," said the Economic Outlook. According to the Economic Outlook, the primary sector continues to be the largest employer, accounting for 42.7 per cent employment, followed by secondary sector (22.5 per cent) and tertiary sector (34.8 per cent). Further, it noted that the southern state recorded the highest share of its own tax revenue (SOTR), ..

TN Budget: Fiscal deficit at 3% of GSDP in FY26; Hosur to be new GCC hub

Finance minister Thangam Thennarasu said that the state's revenue for the financial year 2025-26 is estimated at Rs 3,31,569 crore, while expenditure is estimated at Rs 3,73,204 crore

Tamil Nadu govt presents Budget 2025-26 in Assembly, AIADMK stages walkout

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin-led DMK regime on Friday presented its Budget 2025-26 in the Assembly, a full-fledged exercise ahead of the state election next year, and made big allocations for its flagship welfare schemes which include the fare-free bus travel scheme for women. Noisy scenes were witnessed in the Assembly as the main opposition AIADMK walked out after attempting to raise alleged graft in state-run liquor corporation TASMAC as the Enforcement Directorate has held searches related to the state-owned company. Presenting the Budget, Finance Minister Thangam Thenarasu said women using fare-free bus services has risen to 65 per cent from 40 per cent. "On an average, 50 lakh women travel daily in the buses run by State Transport Undertakings, leading to a total of 642 crore trips so far. Notably, a study by the State Planning Commission revealed that women save an average of Rs 888 per month due to this initiative. For the year 2025-26, the government has allocated a

Maharashtra Budget 2025: New airport, job generation, road development

Ajit Pawar presented his 11th Maharashtra budget, making him the second-most frequent budget presenter in the state's history

In ChatGPT era, Chhattisgarh FM presents 100-page handwritten Budget

In an age where even court rulings are drafted using AI-powered chatbots, Chhattisgarh's Finance Minister OP Choudhary showcased his personal dedication by presenting a 100-page handwritten budget in Hindi, reflecting his hands-on approach and commitment to the budget preparation process. Choudhary, a former IAS who quit service to join politics as he saw it as a bigger medium to serve the public, literally burnt midnight oil, hardly sleeping for a couple of hours in the days leading to the March 4 presentation of the Budget for the fiscal year starting April 1 in the Chhattisgarh assembly. The rare act that displayed a sense of ownership and dedication to the state's financial planning and goals stood out, especially since most budget documents are typically prepared by a team of officials or typed out on computers. "I was writing my own (Budget) speech and I realised that a handwritten document expresses my feelings, my emotions, my vision, my commitment, and my attachment more. A

Rising welfare costs push states to trim budgets, rethink policies

Rising costs, especially due to women's welfare schemes are straining state finances, forcing governments to cut spending, reassess policies, and even drop some existing schemes

Bihar govt tables Rs 3.17 trn Budget, proposes women-centric schemes

Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, who holds the finance portfolio, tabled a Rs 3.17 trillion Budget in the Assembly

Rajasthan trade body seeks Budget concessions to support commodity markets

Despite water scarcity, Rajasthan remains a significant contributor to the country's Rabi and Kharif crop production

Rising deficit and debt puts Indian states under fiscal strain: NSE Report

Fiscal consolidation measures such as managing contingent liabilities, improving fiscal transparency, and enhancing the fiscal credibility of SDLs needed to address states' financial challenges

UP govt presents Rs 12,909 cr supplementary Budget for FY25 in Assembly

The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday presented a supplementary budget of more than Rs 12,909 crore for the 2024-25 financial year in the assembly. State Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna said the supplementary budget of Rs 12,909.93 crore is 1.66 per cent of the original Budget (of Rs 7.36 lakh crore) presented in February this year. Khanna said the expenditure on revenue account is Rs 4,227.94 crore and the expenditure on capital account is Rs 7,981.99 crore in the supplementary budget. He said a provision of Rs 7,500.18 crore has been made for industrial development, Rs 2,000 crore for energy department, Rs 1,000 crore for purchase of buses by the transport department, Rs 600 crore for Amrit Yojana under the urban development department, Rs 200 crore for short-term programmes under Uttar Pradesh Skill Mission and Rs 100 crore for rural stadium and open gym. A provision of Rs 28.40 crore has been proposed for the establishment of labs in 284 government inter-colleges under t

Cong's poll guarantees, BRS MLAs' defection issues in T'gana Budget session

The implementation of crop loan waiver and other poll 'guarantees' of the Congress government in Telangana, issues of unemployment and BRS MLAs joining the ruling party are likely to figure prominently during the budget session of Assembly beginning July 23. The government would present the budget on July 25. This will be the Congress government's first full budget after assuming power in December last year. It had presented an interim budget in February this year. Amid fanfare, the government launched the crop loan waiver scheme last week which would be implemented in two more phases with a total outlay of about Rs 31,000 crore. While the Congress leaders and activists held celebrations, the opposition BRS and BJP expressed disappointment. The BRS alleged that the loan waiver did not benefit a majority of farmers, while BJP National General Secretary and Union MoS (Home) Bandi Sanjay Kumar said the government has failed to disburse the promised amount of 'Rythu Bharosa' (invest

Rajasthan budget: Rs 15k cr for tap water, greenfield expressways. Updates

Rajasthan Finance Minister Diya Kumari proposed Rs 27,000 crore for the health sector and said that bio pink toilets will be built for women