The Union Budget 2026 is likely to give top priority to rural development, and development of the agriculture sector. Nirmala Sitharaman is expected to announce more funds for programmes to raise employment opportunities in rural areas, according to sources.
The Rural Development Ministry has asked the Finance Ministry to increase the budget of the new employment guarantee scheme, ‘Viksit Bharat – G Ram G’ or VB-G Ram G, to Rs 1.51 lakh crore, or by 72%, as per NDTV. Last year, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) got a budget of Rs 86,000 crore.
