Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday interacted with 30 university students from across the country who witnessed the Union Budget 2026–27 presentation live from the Lok Sabha gallery.
Addressing the Youth Dialogue on Budget 2026, Sitharaman described the interaction as a departure from the usual post-Budget practice of engaging with newspapers and television studios. She said the idea was proposed by her team as a way to connect directly with young people.
“This time my team thought of doing something out of the ordinary,” the Finance Minister said, explaining that instead of going from one media interaction to another, the decision was taken to invite college students to Parliament and hear their perspectives.
She said the initiative involved reaching out to universities and bringing together a group of students for an interaction to understand their experience of watching the Budget proceedings. “I would certainly like to know from you what the experience of sitting in Parliament and listening to a Budget was like,” she said.
During the interaction, Sitharaman spoke about efforts being made to build a “better India” for the younger generation, drawing a contrast between the India she grew up in and the country today.
She said that while not everything from the past should be viewed negatively, the pace and nature of economic growth and governance in earlier decades led to delays. “That is not the India we want for the future. We want a better India,” she said.
Earlier in the day, Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2026–27 in the Lok Sabha, marking her ninth consecutive Union Budget.
She said the Budget is driven by Yuvashakti and anchored in “three kartavyas.” As part of the proposals, the Finance Minister announced seven high-speed rail corridors, new dedicated freight corridors, and the operationalisation of 20 national waterways over the next five years.
The Budget outlined a strong push for environmentally sustainable passenger transport, with the proposed high-speed rail corridors aimed at reducing travel time, cutting emissions, and supporting regional development. The proposed routes include Mumbai–Pune, Pune–Hyderabad, Hyderabad–Bengaluru, Hyderabad–Chennai, Chennai–Bengaluru, Delhi–Varanasi, and Varanasi–Siliguri.
The Budget also highlighted ecotourism and nature-based travel. Sitharaman said India has the potential to offer world-class trekking and hiking experiences. She said the government will develop sustainable mountain trails in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jammu and Kashmir, as well as in the Araku Valley in the Eastern Ghats and Pudigai Malai in the Western Ghats.
-ANI
