Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], February 5 : Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Thursday described the Union Budget 2026 as visionary and forward-looking that lays a strong foundation for building Viksit Bharat under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Addressing a press conference in Gandhinagar, the Chief Minister said the budget is based on pillars such as accelerating economic growth with sustainable development, ensuring active public participation through capacity building.
Welcoming the budget, Patel said it delivers a "quantum jump" towards Viksit Bharat and will play a significant role as India moves towards becoming the world's third-largest economy. He expressed confidence that the budget would strengthen the journey towards a Viksit and Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
Highlighting sector-wise benefits for Gujarat, the Chief Minister said the Bio-Pharma Shakti Programme, with an allocation of Rs 10,000 crore, aims to make India a global bio-pharma manufacturing hub, a release said. As Gujarat is a leader in the pharmaceutical sector, the state will gain significantly from this initiative. He added that six new schemes announced for the textile sector will further boost Gujarat's textile industry.
Calling MSMEs the backbone of the state's economy, Patel noted that the announcement of a Rs 10,000 crore SME Fund to build "Champion MSMEs" will enhance liquidity and directly benefit over 42.9 lakh MSMEs in Gujarat.
The Chief Minister said Gujarat is steadily emerging as the country's semiconductor hub with four plants and will benefit from the India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 announced in the budget.
He also noted that improved logistics under PM Gati Shakti, the DMIC freight route, and the proposed dedicated freight corridor from Dankuni to Surat will provide faster support for trade, industry, and manufacturing.
Welcoming the extension of the tax holiday in GIFT City from 10 to 20 years, Patel said the move will boost investor confidence and encourage long-term investments in the fintech hub. He also welcomed the proposal to develop Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities with populations above five lakh as City Economic Regions, noting that this will accelerate growth in Gujarat's smaller cities alongside major urban centres.
Referring to sports development, the Chief Minister said the Khelo India Mission announced in the budget will boost Gujarat's sports sector as the state gears up to host the Commonwealth Games in the coming years.
Highlighting Gujarat's contribution to national growth, Patel said the 16th Finance Commission has increased the state's central devolution share from 3.48 per cent to 3.75 per cent, which will strengthen infrastructure development, including in rural areas.
He also welcomed the AVGC initiative to train 20 lakh professionals by 2030, noting that establishing Content Creator Labs in schools and colleges across the country will create new employment opportunities for youth, including those from Gujarat.
Concluding, the Chief Minister expressed confidence that Gujarat will move towards Viksit Bharat at double speed under the double-engine government by leveraging the opportunities created through this development-oriented budget.
Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai, Principal Secretary (Finance) Dr T. Natarajan, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Sanjeev Kumar, and other senior officials were present at the press conference.
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