Youth Ideas Shape India's Budget 2026, Hailed by Dialogue Participants

Several participants said that the aspirations, policy suggestions and developmental proposals presented by young Indians during the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2026 appear to have influenced significant aspects of the Union Budget 2026-27, highlighting the increasing role of youth engagement in policymaking.

Aman Hembrom, a resident of Ranchi who participated in the dialogue, said the platform represented the collective voice of the country's youth and not just individual viewpoints.

Speaking to IANS, he said, "First of all, this was not just my personal idea; it was the collective thought of the youth of a Viksit Bharat. When we presented our proposals before him (PM Narendra Modi), our ideas were appreciated. When the youth begins to think and take initiative, the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 becomes a resolution, a belief."

Hembrom further spoke about the sense of ownership young Indians feel towards the long-term national vision.

"The dream of Viksit Bharat by 2047 is ours. We can see that in our country's top leadership, our first citizen, the President, is a woman, and the Union Finance Minister presenting the budget is also a woman. When India shows its courage and strength, it shows that India is not afraid of anyone," he said.

Another participant from Haryana's Hisar, Nimisha Suryavanshi, who presented her ideas during the dialogue, highlighted how the Prime Minister encouraged youth-centric thinking and innovation.

She told IANS, "When we first reached space, the question was -- How does India look from above?... Today in New India, the Prime Minister asks -- How does India look from the point of view of youth?"

Suryavanshi also spoke about presenting her proposal, which focused on agricultural productivity, and receiving positive feedback from the Prime Minister.

"When I presented my idea 'Per Field More Yield', he (PM Modi) was very pleased and said that just like his slogan 'Per Drop More Crop', my idea was equally commendable," she said.

She further elaborated on the scale and uniqueness of the selection process and the opportunity given to participants to directly engage with the country's leadership.

"Out of 50 lakh youth who applied, 3,000 were selected at each stage, and ultimately, around 25 chosen youth got the opportunity to directly share their ideas with the Prime Minister. It was a very unique experience for us. With 3,000 people seated in the hall, we got the chance to directly present our new ideas and have a conversation with him," Suryavanshi added.

Dipayan Sunder Ghosh, another participant and presenter at the event from Nadia, also described the dialogue as a meaningful and enriching experience. He said that the acknowledgement of youth suggestions in the national budget was particularly encouraging. "It was a great experience to share our ideas. What impressed me even more was when our ideas were mentioned by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget 2026 speech," he said.

Participants maintained that such initiatives reflect a growing emphasis on incorporating youth perspectives into national policy discussions and development strategies, while reinforcing their belief that young citizens are increasingly becoming active contributors to India's long-term growth vision.

The Viksit Bharat Young Leaders' Dialogue 2026 was organised in New Delhi from January 9 to January 12 and witnessed participation from around 3,000 young leaders representing different regions of the country.

During the multi-day programme, participants took part in digital quizzes, essay competitions, and policy presentations.

Select recommendations emerging from these engagements were later incorporated into national policy discussions and the Union Budget framework.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Sitharaman have underlined that the Union Budget 2026-27 seeks to recognise the aspirations of India's youth by transforming deliberations from the dialogue into implementable policy initiatives.

The government has also emphasised that the budget aims to create opportunities for young Indians while advancing the broader goal of building a Viksit and Atmairbhar Bharat.

- IANS