Agartala, February 1:
Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha on Sunday welcomed the Union Budget 2026 presented in Parliament by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, describing it as “one of the best budgets so far” and one that lays special emphasis on last-mile development, infrastructure expansion and the overall growth of the Northeast region.
Speaking in Agartala just hours after the Budget presentation, Dr. Saha said the general public has received the Budget positively despite criticism from the opposition.
“I believe this is among the best budgets. The opposition will always say it is not good, but the general public has welcomed it,” he said.
The Chief Minister stated that the Budget is built on three key pillars — development of last-mile areas, nationwide infrastructure expansion, and the vision of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas aur Vishwas”.
“Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always stressed that development must reach the last person. This budget prioritises those remote and underserved areas. At the same time, infrastructure development across the country has been given major focus,” he said.
Highlighting the benefits for the Northeast, Dr. Saha welcomed the announcement of a Buddhist Circuit scheme covering Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Sikkim, Manipur and Tripura, saying it would significantly boost tourism and economic activities in the region.
“Tourists will not visit just one place but travel across all these states. This will greatly benefit Tripura and the entire Northeast. The Prime Minister has placed special emphasis on tourism in the region,” he added.
Saha also pointed out that the Budget proposes deployment of a large number of electric buses for the Northeastern states to improve transportation and connectivity, adding that detailed information would be shared soon.
Calling it a “youth-centric and farmer-friendly” budget, the Chief Minister said special emphasis has been laid on youth empowerment, farmers’ welfare, and women’s development.
He further noted allocations for health services, roadways, connectivity and high-speed transport systems.
“There is focus on every sector — health, connectivity, infrastructure and development. I thank the Prime Minister for his vision and the Finance Minister for presenting such a forward-looking budget,” he said.
Dr. Saha expressed confidence that the measures announced in the Budget would start showing results by 2030 and would help India achieve the goal of becoming a “Viksit Bharat” by 2047.
