The Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2026-27 in the Parliament today. The Budget cites Emerging technologies and AI as important components in realising the second kartavya of fulfilling aspirations of common citizens and build their capacity to make them strong partners in India’s path to prosperity.
Acknowledging that the adoption of technology is for the benefit of all, i.e. the farmers, women in STEM, youth keen to upskill and Divyangjan to access newer opportunities, the Union Budget 2026-27 highlights key government initiatives to support new technologies through AI Mission, National Quantum Mission, Anusandhan National Research Fund, and Research, Development and Innovation Fund.
With the emerging technologies playing a pivotal role in India’s Orange Economy, the Budget underscores India’s Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) sector as a growing industry projected to require 2 million professionals by 2030.The Union Budget proposes to support the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies, Mumbai in setting up AVGC Content Creator Labs in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges in furtherance of India’s Orange economy.
Further, the Budget proposes a new National Institute of Design to boost design education and development in the eastern region of India, acknowledging the rapidly expanding Design Industry of India.
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The Union budget proposes ‘Bharat-VISTAAR’(Virtually Integrated System to Access Agricultural Resources)—a multilingual AI tool that shall integrate the AgriStack portals and the ICAR package on agricultural practices with AI systems. This will enhance farm productivity, will lead to better farmer decision making and reduce risk through customized advisory support for the farmer
Furthermore, taking note of the impact of AI and emerging technologies on jobs and skill requirements, the Budget proposes a High-Powered ‘Education to Employment and Enterprise’ Standing Committee for assessment and propose measures thereof.