Rs 1 lakh crore: Delhi’s Double Engine Budget

New Delhi: The Delhi government on Tuesday allocated Rs 12,893 crore for the health sector in the 2025-26 budget to support flagship schemes like Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, set up two new medical colleges, and add 16,186 beds in government hospitals. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta presented the 2025-26 budget in the Assembly, announcing a significant push to strengthen the Capital’s healthcare infrastructure.

A major portion of the budget will support flagship schemes like Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), aimed at providing financial protection and affordable healthcare to more families in the capital.

In her budget speech, Gupta said the government is committed to transforming Delhi’s healthcare system by strengthening critical care services, expanding primary healthcare facilities, and modernizing medical infrastructure.

“Our goal is to ensure no one is left behind when it comes to quality healthcare,” she added.

The budget earmarks Rs 1,666.66 crore under the Pradhan Mantri - Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) to boost critical care blocks and diagnostics, alongside Rs 320 crore for setting up 400 Health and Wellness Centres, also known as Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.

Additionally, Rs 9.92 crore has been allocated for the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, aiming to digitize patient records and improve accessibility to healthcare services. With a total outlay of Rs 12,893 crore for the health sector — including Rs 3,421 crore for capital projects — Gupta said the government is determined to make Delhi a hub of quality healthcare and medical education.

The government has also allocated Rs 147.64 crore to expand financial protection under the Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), ensuring more families benefit from free, cashless treatment for serious illnesses. “We are determined to transform Delhi’s healthcare system with sustainable reforms, modern infrastructure, and digital innovation. Every citizen — rich or poor, young or old — deserves access to affordable, high-quality healthcare,” Gupta said. She also announced that two new medical colleges will be established in Delhi to improve healthcare services and boost medical education. “This will provide high-quality medical education to Delhi’s youth and create new employment opportunities in the healthcare sector,” she said, adding that the previous AAP government “never took strong steps” in the health sector. Highlighting the current shortfall in hospital beds, Gupta cited World Health Organization (WHO) norms, which recommend 5 beds per 1,000 people. “At present, Delhi has only 2.7 beds per 1,000 people—far below the required standard. This is why patients face long queues for OPD services, medicine, and diagnostic tests. The shortage of doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff, combined with limited radiology facilities like CT scans, MRIs, and PET-CTs, further strains the system,” she said.

To address this, the government plans to complete 24 pending hospital projects, including 7 ICU hospitals, 4 new hospitals, and the expansion of 13 existing facilities. Once completed, these projects are expected to add 16,186 new beds to Delhi’s public healthcare system.

The total budget outlay for the health sector stands at Rs 10,295 crore, including Rs 3,421 crore for Capital projects and Rs 6,874 crore for various health schemes, programs, and infrastructure development.

Plans new schools, language labs and startup centres

The newly-formed BJP government allocated Rs 19,291 crore for the education sector in the next financial year, over 17 per cent higher than last year, and announced a slew of initiatives, including CM Shri schools, language laboratories, modern computer labs, and startup support centres.

The previous AAP government which boasted its various reform measures in the field of education during the recent assembly polls had earmarked Rs 16,396 crore for education related expenditure in FY25.

The overall budget outlay of Rs 1 lakh crore for the financial year 2025-26 is 31.5 per cent higher from the previous fiscal.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, who also holds the finance portfolio, announced an allocation of Rs 100 crore to set up 60 new CM Shri schools and Rs 500 crore for an education hub in Narela, aiming to strengthen Delhi’s education infrastructure.

The new CM Shri schools will be fully compliant with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and implement the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSC) 2023. Gupta said that the education hub in Narela is set to expand, with the Delhi Development Authority allotting 160 acres of land to the Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women.

Additionally, 1,270 flats have been allocated to four universities — Delhi Technological University (DTU), Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University (DSEU), Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University Delhi (DPRSU), and Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) — to help them establish or expand their campuses in the area.

While presenting the budget in the state assembly, Gupta highlighted the government’s commitment to digital learning by announcing free laptops for 1,200 Class 10 students, and set aside Rs 7.5 crore for the initiative. For the development of multilingual skills, 100 new language labs named after Dr A P J Abdul Kalam will be established, offering courses in French, German, English, Spanish, and other languages. The project has been allocated Rs 21 crore. The CM also introduced a new scheme, ‘New Era of Entrepreneurial Ecosystem and Vision’,

designed to instill business mindset in students, and allocated Rs 20 crore to support this initiative. With agency inputs