The call for 2027 assembly elections has already started being heard in Uttarakhand. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami will present the budget of Uttarakhand on March 11, and it will be no ordinary budget.
Uttarakhand: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami will present the final full budget of Uttarakhand on March 11, 2026, ahead of the upcoming 2027 assembly elections. This budget will be more important than any ordinary fiscal proposal, as it will finalize the Dhami government’s development priorities, economic plans and public spending ahead of the elections.
The budget session will be held in the summer capital Gairsain (Bharadisain) from March 9 to 13. The government has already issued the notification, due to which all departments and experts have started preparations.
Budget size and priorities
Last year’s budget was Rs 1.01 lakh crore. This time the government is planning to increase it from Rs 1.15 to 1.20 lakh crore. Under this, special attention is expected to be given to youth, women, tourism and infrastructure. Chief Minister Dhami has adopted a new strategy for preparing the budget. Farmers, industrialists, women self-help groups and experts were invited to the ‘Budget Samvad’ organized at Banbasa in Champawat on 7th February. The objective of this dialogue was to ensure that the budget does not just remain on the files, but also reflects the actual needs on the ground.
‘Zero based budgeting’ will be implemented in this year’s budget. This means that a scheme will not be included in the budget just because it is already running. The actual utility, expenditure and impact of each scheme will be reviewed. Complete accounts of past expenditure have been sought from the departments and third party audit is also being conducted. For the first time, separate gender budget data will be prepared for women. Besides, detailed details of expenditure on Research and Development (R&D) will also be presented.
Development and financial challenges
As simple as increasing the size of your budget may seem, it’s actually not that simple. A large part of the total budget is spent on salaries, pensions and loan repayment. In the last budget, only about Rs 75,000 crore was left for development works. This time the real challenge for the government will be to maintain the pace of development while keeping the deficit under control. Chief Minister Dhami’s strategy, the actual impact of the schemes and the benefits visible to the public will prove to be the key to dealing with the election issues of the opposition.
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