Finance Minister presents Rs 34,212 crore tax-free Budget for FY 2026-27; focus on infrastructure, investment and employment

Finance Minister Pranajit Singha Roy on Monday presented a tax-free deficit Budget of Rs 34,212.31 crore for the financial year 2026-27, with an estimated deficit of Rs 240.72 crore, in the Tripura Assembly.

In his nearly two-hour long Budget speech, the Finance Minister emphasized infrastructure development, investment promotion, employment generation, and strengthening of the health and tourism sectors. The Budget for 2026-27 reflects a 5.52 per cent increase over the Budget estimates of 2025-26.

The Budget proposes a significant thrust on capital expenditure to boost the state’s economy. Capital expenditure for the financial year 2026-27 has been projected at Rs 8,945.92 crore, marking an increase of 13.19 per cent compared to the previous financial year.

Singha Roy also announced that the state government would provide Rs 914.82 crore to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) during 2026-27, reflecting an increase of 6.34 per cent. The elections to the 30-member TTAADC are scheduled to be held in April.

Highlighting the state’s development initiatives, the Finance Minister said the government continues to move forward on the path of progress by strengthening infrastructure, promoting investment, creating employment opportunities, and expanding health and tourism sectors to ensure overall socio-economic development of the people.

In the education sector, the government announced the establishment of three new universities — Tripura Government Technical University, Tripura Government Women’s University and Tripura University of Health Sciences — along with expansion of infrastructure in educational institutions.

The Budget also introduced a new initiative titled “NAVCHETNA”, aimed at promoting technology-driven education through the establishment of Innovation and Technology Laboratories in educational institutions. The programme will focus on emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), coding and automation.

To create global employment opportunities, the Finance Minister announced the launch of the “Mukhyamantri Antarjatik Kormosangstan Prokolpa”, which will facilitate overseas employment for nursing, ITI, diploma and graduate students. A Drone School will also be established to provide professional training for drone pilots with DGCA-approved licences.

As part of the state’s digital development plan, the Budget proposed the development of Agartala AI City, envisioned as a flagship digital infrastructure initiative with a state-of-the-art IT park to promote AI, IT/ITeS, startups, innovation and large-scale employment generation.

Additionally, a Foreign Language School will be set up in Agartala in collaboration with the Ramakrishna Mission to enhance language skills and global employability among youth.

To safeguard farmers from natural calamities, the Finance Minister informed that crops of 96,000 farmers have been insured under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, registering an increase of 5.31 per cent over the previous year.

In the health sector, the government has taken measures to combat HIV/AIDS by identifying 11 additional Targeted Intervention programmes, along with Link Workers and NGOs, to provide prevention and treatment services for high-risk populations. Currently, six mobile vans are operating to conduct HIV diagnostic tests in remote areas.

Under Mission Shakti, integrated support is being provided to women affected by violence, including medical and legal assistance, temporary shelter with food, and psychosocial counselling. The Finance Minister informed the House that One Stop Centres (OSCs) are now operational in all eight districts of Tripura, while the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development has approved two additional OSCs.

Singha Roy further stated that the state received investment proposals worth Rs 15,800 crore during the ‘Destination Tripura – Business Conclave’ held in Agartala and the ‘Rising North East Investment Summit’ held in New Delhi during 2025-26. Out of these, 91 investment projects worth Rs 5,022 crore have already been grounded in the past year.

To maintain the investment momentum, the Destination Tripura – Business Meet 2026 will be organised in May 2026, he added.

The Finance Minister also noted that several tourism infrastructure projects are being implemented under an Externally Aided Project (EAP) funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The Budget further proposed strengthening of the Howrah and Katakhal embankments and development of an Emergency Restoration System (ERS) under the Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited (TSECL).

Due to the government’s initiatives, tourist footfall in Tripura increased to 6,50,772 in 2025-26 (up to February 2026) compared to 5,29,815 in 2018-19, the Finance Minister said.