Delhi Budget 2025-26: Rs 1 Lakh Cr, Yamuna Cleaning Focus

New Delhi, Mar 25 (PTI) Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday presented a Rs 1 lakh crore Budget for 2025-26 with 10 focus areas, including Yamuna cleaning, women empowerment, infrastructure development, water, smart governance and seamless connectivity, while terming it a roadmap for "Viksit Delhi".

The education sector got the highest allocation of Rs 19,291 crore, up by 19.29 per cent from the previous budget, followed by health with Rs 12,893 crore and transport with Rs 12,952 crore.

In her 138-minute speech, Gupta also focused on infrastructure development projects, announcing that the BJP-led Delhi government has doubled capital expenditure to Rs 28,000 crore in the 2025-26 Budget.

The total Budget outlay for 2025-26 marks a 31.5 per cent increase from the previous year. To combat pollution in Delhi, Rs 300 crore has been set aside by the BJP government.

The chief minister, who also holds the finance portfolio, announced a comprehensive Rs 1,500-crore plan to clean the Yamuna River and improve Delhi's sewage infrastructure, marking an ambitious river rejuvenation effort in the national capital.

The plan includes the construction of 40 decentralised sewage treatment plants (STPs), modernisation of existing STPs, and investment in advanced machinery to tackle waste and pollution.

The Delhi government will set up 100 Atal Canteens across the national capital, allocating Rs 100 crore to fund the project.

Shifting of Tihar Jail to a new location, education hub in Narela, two new medical colleges, setting up of a modern cow shelter, pilot project for eliminating overhead electric wires, free laptops for 1,200 students passing Class X, welfare boards for gig workers and auto-taxi drivers, new industrial policy and global investment summit are among the key initiatives announced in the Budget.

The government will also establish "Integrated Command and Control Center (ICCC)" for real-time monitoring of various environmental parameters like air quality, water quality, noise levels and waste management, among others.

Presenting the Budget in the assembly, Gupta quoted the 19th-century legendary poet Mirza Ghalib, underscoring the city's importance, "Ek roz apni rooh se pucha ki Dilli kya hai, toh yun jawaab mein keh gayi, yeh duniya maano jism hai aur Dilli uski jaan." (One day I asked my soul what Delhi is, so I replied, This world is like a body, and Delhi is its soul.).

To empower women and enhance their safety, the Delhi government announced a host of welfare schemes, including a monthly honorarium of Rs 2,500, installation of 50,000 CCTV cameras, introduction of Pink PCR (all-female police assistance) units and financial aid of Rs 21,000 for expecting mothers.

She said that the government would launch the Mahila Samridhi Yojana (MSY) with an allocation of Rs 5,100 crore.

To curb alleged corruption in the free-bus ride scheme for women, the government will also replace pink tickets with smart cards.

The chief minister called the maiden Budget of the BJP-led Delhi government "historic", emphasising that the era of "corruption and inefficiency" was over.

This is the first Budget presented by a BJP-led government in Delhi in over 26 years, following the party's victory over the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in last month's Assembly elections.

Gupta said that the Budget is the first step to develop the national capital. "Delhi went down in every aspect of development in the past decade. The previous government ruined the economic health of the national capital like termites," she said.

She attacked the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP that ruled Delhi for 10 years for allegedly neglecting basic amenities in slum clusters of the city while building a "Sheesh Mahal".

The chief minister also took a jibe at the opposition AAP MLAs in the Assembly, by saying in a lighter vein that the "Sheesh Mahal" will be included in the tourist circuit of Delhi for people to visit it.

Taking a dig at the AAP, Gupta recited lines of renowned poet Bashir Badr, "Dil ki basti puraani dilli hai, jo bhi guzra hai, usne lootaa hai" (The locality of my heart is old Delhi, whoever has passed through, has looted it).

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Atishi slammed the Delhi budget, calling it a "hawa hawai budget" and labelling it "baseless and unrealistic".

She accused the BJP of slashing key allocations to essential sectors like education, health, and municipal services, saying the budget reveals the government's "intent to weaken public services".

"For the first time in 10 years, the education budget has fallen below 20 per cent, showing their agenda to destroy government schools. Health spending has also been cut to 13 per cent - the lowest in a decade - to dismantle free treatment services for the poor," she said.

According to budget documents, capital expenditure has been proposed at Rs 28,115.48 crore in 2025-26 against budget estimates of Rs 15,089.25 crore in the last year.

The chief minister tabled in the Assembly a budget of Rs 1 lakh crore for 2025-26 which will primarily be funded through tax revenue of Rs 68,700 crore, non-tax revenue, grant-in aids from the Centre and other sources.

The tax revenue will comprise Rs 41,000 crore from GST collection, Rs 8,000 crore from VAT, Rs 9,000 crore from stamp and registration fees, Rs 7,000 crore from state excise and Rs 3,700 crore from taxes on vehicles.

In a key infrastructural move, the Delhi government has set aside Rs 6,897 crore for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

The chief minister said that there is a plan to enhance the court infrastructure by adding 200 more courtrooms to the existing 690 court halls in Delhi, especially at Shastri Park, Karkardooma and Rohini, for which a budget provision of Rs 490 crore has been made.

A major focus has also been placed on clean drinking water and sanitation, with Rs 9,000 crore allocated for related projects.

The Delhi government has allocated Rs 1,000 crore for improved transport links connecting NCR, and a total outlay of Rs 12,952 crore for the transport sector.

Gupta announced that the government aims to make Delhi an investment- and innovation-friendly city. To achieve this, a new industrial policy and a new warehouse policy will be introduced. A Traders' Welfare Board will also be established.

Furthermore, Delhi will host its first-ever 'Global Investment Summit', which will be held every two years. To support small-scale industries, Rs 50 crore has been earmarked for skill development programs, including bee-keeping.

In a major cultural initiative, the Delhi government will host an 'International Film Festival' with a budget allocation of Rs 30 crore. The government has also allocated Rs 696 crore for the development in slum clusters.

The budget also proposed creation of 'Chief Minister Development Fund', with a provision of Rs 1,400 crore for fund allocation to developmental projects and complementing the efforts already made under other schemes and initiatives of the government.