The Union Budget 2026–27 lays out a forward-looking roadmap for the next quarter century by advancing technology-driven, AI-integrated structural reforms to shape India’s future, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Dr Jitendra Singh said on Monday.
Addressing the media during a post-Budget interaction organised by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Dr Singh said the Budget may take time to be fully appreciated, but it reflects a clear and sequential vision in which structural reforms are powered by cutting-edge technologies, and cutting-edge technologies are increasingly driven by artificial intelligence.
He said this approach makes the Budget inherently futuristic and places a responsibility on informed stakeholders, including the media, to effectively communicate its long-term benefits to citizens.
Responding to concerns about immediate benefits for the middle class, the Minister said the true impact of the Budget lies not in short-term income calculations but in sustained relief from rising healthcare and living costs over the long term.
Dr Singh said large-scale investments in biopharmaceuticals, diagnostics, vaccines, and gene-based therapies would significantly reduce the financial burden on families dealing with chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and metabolic disorders.
Highlighting India’s growing public health challenges, he noted that the country currently has over 11–12 crore diabetics, nearly 14 crore pre-diabetics, and a rapidly increasing incidence of cancer, with projections indicating up to two million cases annually by 2030.
He said affordable drugs, vaccines, and diagnostic tools, backed by domestic bio-manufacturing capabilities, would provide major social and economic support, particularly to the middle class and vulnerable sections of society.
Referring to the ₹10,000 crore Biopharma Shakti initiative, Dr Singh said India has already emerged as a global bio-manufacturing hub, ranking among the leading bio-economies worldwide and within the Indo-Pacific region.
The new allocation, he added, would further strengthen this position by expanding capabilities in biologics, biosimilars, vaccines, medical devices, and gene-based technologies.
Describing biotechnology as the next major industrial growth engine, Dr Singh said it would play a transformative role similar to information technology in previous decades. He added that the forthcoming industrial revolution would be a bio-revolution, encompassing recycling, regeneration, the circular economy, and advanced life-science innovations.