The start of the 2026 Budget Session of Parliament on 31 January puts India at a crucial intersection on its long track to become a Viksit Bharat (developed India) by 2047, the centenary of independence in India. Such an India would be economically sound, technologically advanced, socially inclusive, and ecologically sustainable. To realize this ambitious vision, the Budget Session promises a whole new era of reforms and policies.
What is Vision: Viksit Bharat 2047?
Viksit Bharat 2047, the blueprint, is about transforming India on several fronts:
- Fosters high, sustainable economic growth and jobs.
- Infrastructure & Technology: Building smarter smart cities, digital networks, AI and innovation.
- Education & Skills Development: World class skills to its citizens.
- Healthcare & Social Welfare: Universal access and quality healthcare to all.
- Sustainability & Green Growth: Building for renewable energy, climate resilience and sustainable agriculture.
- Global Competition: India in trade, exports and investment.
Role of the Budget Session
All in all the Budget Session is the sum of financial planning and policy announcements, it's also included in the Union Budget. It allows the government to:
- Spend on critical areas such as education, health care, infrastructure, and technology.
- Implement schemes/programs to meet long-term development goals.
- Enact any such financial legislation that may reform taxation, investment, or industrial policy.
It is essential to bear in mind however, that the Budget Session will never be sufficient to produce the whole picture of Viksit Bharat 2047. True transformation will require much persistent legislative work and execution, along with government administrative support, of government-on-government cooperation over the years.
Opportunities for Alignment
What the next Budget Session can do to support Viksit Bharat 2047:
- Firms are being reformed economically & industrial: Incentives for high technological industries, startups and exports.
- Green Growth: For investment in renewable energy, electric mobility and sustainable farming.
- Digital & AI Investments: Funding for AI, cybersecurity, and digital infrastructure.
- Education & Skill Development: Expanding skill-building programs, research, and higher education.
- Healthcare & Rural Development: Strengthening primary healthcare, telemedicine, and sanitation initiatives.
Challenges Ahead
There, though, are some obstacles:
- Budgets tend to focus on short-term objectives and populist agendas.
- But announcements have serious consequences only through smart delivery.
- Long-term planning can be impacted by uncertainty, for example when the global economy isn’t certain such as when inflation or trade impedes the flow of goods.
Viksit Bharat 2047 can build on the 2026 Budget Session to frame priorities (for what/whenever required with the right allocation of funds/investment), and to announce reforms. But for all of this, they are first steps, nowhere as significant as sowing some seeds for a vision as long as one hundred years. Meaningful progress would require the continued execution, sustainability of policy and innovation in the next two decades. At its core, Budget Session is an important one to kick-start things on but that’s not where Viksit Bharat 2047 is coming from. The long run work lies beyond any one session in Parliament.
