| Centre allocates Rs 43,290 crore for J&K | | Higher central assistance, boost for nut crops, eco-friendly mountain trains, and sustainable tourism announced | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Feb 1: The Centre has proposed an allocation of Rs 43,290.29 crore for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in the Union Budget 2026–27, nearly Rs 2,000 crore higher than the current year’s outlay.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the Budget in Parliament on Sunday, also announced a national programme for high-value nut crops aimed at strengthening Jammu and Kashmir’s orchard-based economy.
According to Budget documents, the Union Finance Ministry has proposed total transfers of Rs 43,290.29 crore to Jammu and Kashmir for 2026–27.
For the ongoing financial year, central assistance to the Union Territory has been revised upwards to ₹41,340 crore from ₹41,000.07 crore, reflecting an increase of ₹340 crore. For 2026–27, the Budget proposes ₹42,650 crore as central assistance to bridge J&K’s resource gap, ₹279 crore as grants towards the Union Territory Disaster Response Fund, ₹259 crore as equity support for the Jhelum–Tawi Flood Recovery Project, and ₹101 crore to support capital expenditure in the Union Territory.
The Union Budget 2026–27 proposes a national programme for high-value nut crops—specifically almonds, walnuts, and pine nuts—with a focus on hilly regions, a move expected to significantly benefit Jammu and Kashmir’s orchard-based economy.
Presenting the Budget, Sitharaman said the government aims to promote high-value agriculture to enhance farmers’ incomes and diversify crop production. The Budget identifies almonds, walnuts and pine nuts for targeted interventions in hilly areas, where these crops enjoy a natural comparative advantage.
The programme will focus on rejuvenating old and low-yielding orchards and expanding high-density cultivation to improve per-hectare yields through better planting material and modern orchard management practices. It will also emphasise value addition and post-harvest management to increase farmers’ realisations.
Sitharaman said the initiative would seek to engage rural youth in orchard development, generating employment and encouraging entrepreneurship in agriculture-linked activities in mountainous regions.
Although the Budget does not specify a separate financial outlay or physical targets for the programme, almonds, walnuts and pine nuts are among the few crops explicitly named under the high-value agriculture component.
Given the significant contribution of almonds and walnuts to horticultural output and rural livelihoods, Jammu and Kashmir is expected to be a major beneficiary once the programme is implemented by the concerned ministries.
The Finance Minister also announced plans to develop ecologically sustainable mountain trains and hiking trails in key hill regions, including Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Araku Valley and Pudigai Malai.
In addition, the government will introduce wildlife tourism trails, including turtle nesting routes in Odisha, Karnataka and Kerala, and bird-watching paths around Pulicat Lake. “India can offer world-class trekking and hiking experiences,” Sitharaman said.
The Budget further outlines measures to promote environmentally sustainable transport, including seven high-speed rail corridors connecting major cities, new dedicated freight corridors, and the development of 20 operational national waterways over the next five years to reduce travel time, cut emissions and strengthen connectivity across economic hubs.
As part of the high-value agriculture push, the Budget also proposes expanding high-density almond plantations in hilly regions, including the Kashmir Valley, to improve orchard productivity and farm incomes, with a focus on value addition and employment generation, particularly for rural youth. |
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