Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday presented a Rs 1,13,767 crore Budget for the Union Territory for the financial year 2026–27 in the Legislative Assembly, describing it as a blueprint for sustainable growth, social harmony, and economic prosperity.
Omar said his government aims to transform the Union Territory into a modern, progressive, and economically vibrant region by promoting investment, innovation, and participatory governance.
Calling the Budget more than a statement of accounts, the Chief Minister termed it a “clear roadmap for development”.
“This Budget is not merely a ledger of figures; it is a fiscal compass charting our path towards a brighter horizon. It lays strong foundations for enduring economic growth, social harmony, and sustainable prosperity,” he said.
He said his government has made employment generation a central pillar of its governance agenda, with a clear focus on speed, transparency, and merit in public recruitment.
He said that for 2026-27, total gross receipts are estimated at Rs 1,27,767 crore, including a provision for ways and means advances and overdraft of Rs 14,000 crore. Given these receipts, total gross expenditure is estimated at Rs 1,27,767 crore. The total net Budget estimates for fiscal 2026-27 are Rs 1,13,767 crore, excluding the provision for ways and means advances and overdraft.
Fulfilling the electoral commitment of his National Conference, the Chief Minister announced several concessions to the targeted groups.
He proposed six free LPG cylinders per year to all AAY households of Jammu and Kashmir, covering the poorest of the poor.
The CM also proposed to introduce a Sponsorship Scheme covering 6,000 orphan children, who have lost both parents or their sole bread-earner, have no stable source of income, and are not receiving any such benefit from the Mission Vatsalya framework. Each child, under this, will receive a monthly sponsorship of Rs 4,000 through Direct Benefit Transfer to support education, nutrition, healthcare, and basic living needs. “This initiative reflects our government’s commitment that no child shall be left behind due to circumstances beyond their control.
He proposed to extend the existing free government transport facility to Persons with Disabilities and also an outlay of Rs 70 crore for scholarship support to over 3 lakh tribal students, covering 2.82 lakh Pre-Matric and about 17,000 Post-Matric Scheduled Tribe students, so that no tribal child is deprived of education due to financial hardship.
Omar announced the purchase of bulletproof ambulances for border districts that witness cross-border firing, starting with two ambulances for Poonch and Tandghar for the next Financial Year.
In view of the rising cancer cases, he proposed rolling out a Cancer Control Strategy for J&K in collaboration with NITI Aayog and ICMR.
The CM announced the fast-tracking of the recruitment process for 23,800 additional posts, including 2,800 gazetted, 14,000 non-gazetted, and 7,000 Class IV posts, to ensure that these vacancies are filled in a strictly time-bound manner.
He said 7,650 candidates have been appointed to government service during the year 2025 purely on the basis of merit, through a transparent and technology-driven recruitment process, restoring faith of our youth in public institutions.
The CM also announced that steps will be taken to regularise the services of the daily-rated employees.