New Delhi, Feb 1
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting her ninth straight Union Budget on Sunday, underscored the Centre's 'Purvodaya' initiative. The Budget 2026-27 proposes development of tourism destinations in five Purvodaya states, with the East Coast Industrial Corridor focusing on local culture, heritage, and natural attractions.
She also announced the development of Buddhist circuits in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura to promote the cultural heritage of the region.
These initiatives aim to strengthen infrastructure, boost tourism, improve public transport, and preserve cultural heritage in the Purvodaya states (Northeast) region.
"In line with our commitment towards 'Purvodaya', we will establish a National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management in Bihar," she added in her Budget speech.
The institute is expected to give strong fillip to food processing activities in the entire eastern region. This will result in enhanced income for the farmers through value addition to their produce, and also in skilling, entrepreneurship and employment opportunities for the youth.
Additionally, FM Sitharaman also proposed the development of an integrated East Coast Industrial Corridor with a well-connected node at Durgapur, and the creation of five tourism destinations in the five 'Purvodaya' states, and the provision of 4,000 e-buses.
The Purvodaya scheme was launched to leverage the rich cultural heritage and natural resources of Eastern India. The scheme is aimed at all-round development of the eastern region of India. It includes Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh.
The comprehensive strategy focuses on human resource development, infrastructure enhancement, and economic opportunities to propel the region towards becoming a key driver of 'Viksit Bharat' (Developed India).
The scheme intends to turn Eastern India into a strong contributor to the Prime Minister's vision for 'Viksit Bharat 2047' goal. The Purvodaya scheme was launched by the Centre in Budget 2024. Other pledges include a dedicated freight corridor, connecting Dankuni in West Bengal's Hooghly district in the East to Surat (Gujarat) in the west.
Another proposed corridor will connect Siliguri in north Bengal to Varanasi.
The Finance Minister also said a makhana board will be established in Bihar to improve production, processing, value addition, and its marketing.
"The people engaged in these activities will be organized into FPOs (Farmer Producer Organisations). The board will provide handholding and training support to makhana farmers and will also work to ensure they receive the benefits of all relevant Government schemes," she added.
Also, four states, including Odisha, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu will have dedicated rare earth corridors. Incidentally, a large portion of the world's rare earth refining capacity is currently controlled by China, which has been exercising tight export controls.
The Budget also addressed the development of India's North-East. Speaking about the Buddhist sites in the North-Eastern Region, Sitharaman mentioned that this part is a civilisational confluence of Theravada and 18 Mahayana/Vajrayana traditions.
The Finance Minister further proposed to launch a scheme for development of Buddhist circuits in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura. This scheme will cover preservation of temples and monasteries, pilgrimage interpretation centers, connectivity and pilgrim amenities.
- IANS
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