Gujarat Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai on Wednesday (February 18, 2026) tabled the State Price range for the monetary 12 months 2026–27 within the State Meeting, specializing in digital governance, tourism promotion, and creation of sports activities infrastructure forward of the 2030 Commonwealth Video games.
With a complete outlay of ₹4,08,053 crore, the finances is the biggest ever offered within the State’s historical past. It focuses on regional development, welfare initiatives, and sector-specific investments.
The announcement got here weeks after the Union Budget was offered on February 1, amid eager curiosity over the State’s fiscal priorities and growth roadmap for the approaching 12 months. In a notable visible departure, the finances doc cowl options Kansari Devi, a tribal goddess, illustrated within the conventional Warli artwork model.
The Price range, with an estimated surplus of ₹974 crore and no new taxes, continued the 5% tax rebate for electrical autos. This fiscal 12 months, ₹63,184 crore was allotted to the Schooling division, adopted by ₹33,504 crore to the City Improvement division and ₹29,709 crore to the Roads and Buildings division. The entire outlay elevated by 10.2% (₹3,70,250 crore) to ₹4,08,053 crore over the earlier monetary 12 months, Mr. Desai mentioned.
On the sports activities entrance, the Price range outlines an formidable roadmap to develop Ahmedabad as an “Olympic Prepared Metropolis” within the run-up to the 2030 Commonwealth Video games, which Gujarat will host. A complete of ₹1,278 crore has been proposed for Video games-related infrastructure, together with international-standard sports activities complexes and stadiums, in addition to improved city transport connectivity round key venues.
The sports activities division has been allotted ₹1,331 crore general. Of this, ₹500 crore will likely be used for growing Ahmedabad as an Olympic-ready vacation spot and for the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (SVP) Sports activities Enclave. Moreover, ₹165 crore has been put aside for constructing and upgrading sports activities complexes in districts throughout the State.
The Price range additionally gives ₹100 crore every for growing Olympic-level sports activities infrastructure at Karai and for establishing a Para Excessive Efficiency Centre in Gandhinagar, together with ₹90 crore for establishing a world-class hockey stadium.
Tourism and sports activities infrastructure emerged as key pillars of the State Price range, with substantial allocations aimed toward boosting Gujarat’s international profile.
Declaring 2026 as ‘Gujarat Tourism Yr’, the Finance Minister mentioned the State intends to safe a stronger presence on nationwide and worldwide tourism maps. To assist this push, ₹236 crore has been allotted for upgrading infrastructure in and across the Statue of Unity, which the federal government mentioned has turn out to be a significant international attraction whereas producing employment, significantly for tribal communities.
Additional, ₹300 crore has been proposed underneath the Ambaji Hall Masterplan for the excellent growth of the Ambaji pilgrimage centre. An extra ₹447 crore has been earmarked for establishing iconic bus stations at Somnath and Ambaji and for growing a multi-modal transport hub at Somnath.
Reaffirming its deal with long-term development, the Finance Minister mentioned the federal government stays dedicated to creating world-class infrastructure that helps financial growth whereas advancing Gujarat’s cultural and sporting ambitions on the worldwide stage.
The Price range estimates an general surplus of ₹974 crore, reflecting what the federal government described as prudent fiscal administration.
In a push in the direction of technology-driven governance, over ₹850 crore has been allotted for Synthetic Intelligence and digital governance initiatives. The federal government plans to determine a Gujarat Unified Digital Stack to combine and ship citizen providers by a single platform. As well as, a Information Fusion Centre and a Centre of Excellence will likely be set as much as leverage AI for enhancing security and safety mechanisms.
Digital “lake and air-watch techniques” will likely be launched for monitoring air and water high quality.
On the taxation entrance, the Minister proposed extending the 5% rebate on Motor Car Tax for electrical autos for an additional 12 months. The continuation of the motivation is predicted to supply reduction of ₹210 crore to residents and additional encourage the adoption of electrical mobility within the State.
The Finance Minister mentioned the Price range has been structured round 5 key pillars — social safety, human useful resource growth, infrastructure growth, financial development and inexperienced development — to supply a balanced framework for the State’s progress.
He acknowledged that the overarching goal of those focus areas is to fast-track Gujarat’s transformation right into a developed state by 2047, aligning coverage priorities with long-term developmental targets.
Revealed – February 19, 2026 06:59 am IST
