Focus on rural growth, Haryana budget proposes 'Agri Discom'; 20 pc reservation for Agniveers in state police

Chandigarh, Mar 2 (PTI) Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Monday presented the budget for 2026-27 with an outlay of Rs 2.23 lakh crore, with several initiatives including a new electricity distribution company for the agriculture sector, a Rs 100 crore green climate resilience fund and 20 per cent reservation for Agniveers in the state police force.

A slew of announcements have also been made in the budget for women.

Saini also announced setting up of 'Adarsh Pariksha Kendra' on a public-private partnership model, Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) under IG rank police officer, 'Wedding City' each in Gurugram, Kharkhoda and Pinjore on the concept of 'Wed in India', a modern film city at Pinjore, besides stating that Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex, Daulatabad, will be upgraded to the state's first 'Para Sports Stadium'.

Sporting a saffron turban, Saini said 5,000 suggestions were received from various quarters, and these have been incorporated in the budget, which he described as "people's budget".

Haryana remains committed to serving as an uninterrupted and tireless engine of development in the journey towards fulfilment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Viksit Bharat' @ 2047, he said.

"Therefore, we have set an ambitious goal of transforming Haryana into a one trillion-dollar economy by the year 2047," Saini said.

This will be for the first time in the state's history that 98 per cent of the total budget has been spent, Saini said referring to the current fiscal. Describing the state budget as the "non-stop government's" 12th budget, Saini said his government has fulfilled 60 out of 217 promises made in his party's poll manifesto.

Reacting to the budget, Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda said, "This is not a budget, just rhetoric, containing no reality." Sharing details of the budget proposals, the chief minister announced a capital expenditure of Rs 28,205 crore for 2026-27, which is 12.6 per cent of the total allocation.

Saini presented a tax-free budget, which envisages an outlay of Rs 2,23,658.17 crore for the year 2026-27, which is 10.28 per cent higher than the revised estimates of Rs 2,02,816.66 crore for the year 2025-26.

The state debt is projected at Rs 3.91 lakh crore in 2026-27 against Rs 3.51 lakh crore in 2025-26 (revised estimates). Salary and pension expenditure is estimated at Rs 52,419 crore in 2026-27 as against Rs 47,549 crore in 2025-26 (revised estimates).

Inspired by the spirit of sacrifice that emerged from the successful celebrations of "Veer Bal Diwas" last December, Saini said and proposed a "Veer Bal Memorial Initiative Scheme" at a cost of Rs 6 crore.

In case of accidental death of a student, Rs 5 lakh will be given to the family, and in case of disability, Rs 3 lakh will be given, Saini said.

In this budget, the fiscal deficit is estimated at Rs 40,293.17 crore, which is 2.65 per cent of GDP. The revenue deficit is 0.87 per cent, the effective revenue deficit is 0.41 per cent, capital expenditure stands at 1.86 per cent, and effective capital expenditure at 2.32 per cent, said Saini, who also holds the finance portfolio.

Haryana's per capita income in 2025-26 is estimated at Rs 3,95,618. This represents a 2.7-fold increase in the state's per capita income over the last 11 years, he said.

In his over three-hour-long budget address, Saini announced a 20 per cent reservation in recruitment to various posts in Haryana Police for 'Agniveers' returning after service in the Indian Army.

"To strengthen the state's disaster preparedness, I propose the formation of the Haryana State Disaster Response Force comprising 1,149 personnel. Maximum participation of Agniveers will be ensured in it," he said.

Saini also informed the House that the government of India has recently strengthened MGNREGA by launching it as the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VBG RAM G).

“ I have made a provision of Rs 610 crore for 125 days of wage-based employment guarantee annually to every rural family in Haryana,” he said.

Among new proposals, the budget proposed setting up a 'Haryana Agri Discom' - a third power distribution company aimed to ensure faster release of connections and reliable and uninterrupted electricity supply for farmers.

"This will serve all 5,084 agricultural feeders and 7.12 lakh agricultural consumers across Haryana. This initiative will ensure uninterrupted power supply to every farm and significantly accelerate services, from providing new tubewell connections to replacement of faulty transformers," he said.

This initiative will prove to be a milestone in enhancing farmers' income, he noted.

Saini proposed that, from the upcoming fiscal year, discussion of six new works will be made mandatory in every Gram Sabha meeting. These works will cover village drinking water supply, wastewater management, review of drug addiction in the village; among other things.

He also announced introducing major overhaul for primary agricultural credit societies (PACS) and said a target has been set to bring at least 300 loss making PACS into profit in 2026-27.

Under the state's flagship Deen Dayal Lado Lakshmi Yojana, in which eligible women aged 23 years and above get a monthly assistance of Rs 2,100, Saini proposed that on the occasion of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya's 110th birth anniversary in September, the state government will will increase the eligibility annual income limit under this scheme to Rs 1.80 lakh (from Rs 1 lakh).

"Therefore, this time, I have proposed Rs 6,500 crore for this scheme," he said announcing increased outlay for the scheme, which was Rs 5,000 crore in FY 2025-26.

The chief minister also proposed the setting up of the 'Haryana Green Climate Resilience Fund' with an initial provision of Rs 100 crore which is in line with the goal of net-zero emissions by 2070.

This fund will accelerate investments in zero-emission vehicles, renewable energy, energy efficiency, water conservation, urban greening, climate-resilient agriculture, and nature-based solutions across the state.

By upgrading Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex, Daulatabad, the state's first para sports stadium, equipped with international-level facilities, will be established, where sports infrastructure suited to their special needs will be made available for training, Saini said.

In collaboration with the Department of Future and Higher Education, an Autonomous AI and Digital College will be started.

Saini also proposed setting up 'Adarsh Pariksha Kendra' in every assembly constituency under a public-private partnership (PPP) model.

On the agriculture front, Saini proposed to provide an additional bonus of Rs 2,000 per acre to such farmers who choose to cultivate pulses, oilseeds, and cotton in place of paddy.

He also said biomass power projects based on paddy straw, with capacities ranging from 9.9 MW to 25 MW and totalling 200 MW, will be established in 13 districts.

Under the Mukhyamantri Bagwani Bima Yojana, Saini proposed to increase compensation for fruit crop damage due to natural disasters from Rs 40,000 per acre to Rs 50,000 per acre, and for vegetables and spices from Rs 30,000 per acre to Rs 40,000 per acre.

In another new initiative, Saini proposed to set up one 'Wedding City' each at Gurugram and Kharkhoda by HSIIDC, and at Pinjore by the tourism department, advancing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of "Wed in India." These will function on the concept of 'Sagaai se Vidaai', thereby promoting "Vocal for Local" and generating numerous new employment opportunities, he said.

To accelerate the pace of making women 'Lakhpati Didi', a Pink Cab scheme will be launched under which women will be given driving training and provided interest-free loans up to Rs 10 lakh for the purchase of electric vehicles.

A rebate of 1 per cent in motor vehicle tax will be provided for non-transport vehicles registered in the name of women.

A daily yoga break will be introduced for employees in all industrial units in the state.

On the police front, Saini announced that to effectively deal with and prevent terrorist activities, a Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) will be constituted under an officer of the rank of Inspector General of Police.

Twenty-one new sports stadiums will be constructed in Kaithal, Jhajjar, Charkhi Dadri, Gurugram, Kurukshetra, Jind, Rohtak, Faridabad, Yamunanagar, Sonipat, Fatehabad, and Palwal, he said. PTI SUN CHS VSD MR