Budget Beyond Spending

The February 6 budget expands welfare, jobs and infrastructure across Jammu and Kashmir, while keeping the region deeply tied to Central funding and rising fixed costs.

- Irshad Mushtaq

he Jammu and Kashmir budget for 2026-27, presented on February 6, reads like a direct response to everyday pressures.

It promises better roads, improved power, wider water supply, more jobs and strong support for poor families.

The total size stands at 1,13,767 crore, which signals ambition and reach.

At the same time, the numbers show a system that still depends heavily on money from Delhi and carries long term costs that will shape future choices.

‘The spending pattern explains the story clearly.

Around 80,640 crore goes toward routine expenses such as salaries, pensions and ongoing schemes. Development works receive 33,127 crore, covering roads, power projects, water systems, housing and public buildings.

J&K’s own income from taxes and other sources reaches only 31,800 crore, close to one quarter of total needs. Central assistance of 42,752 crore, along with 13,400 crore under centrally sponsored schemes, fills most of the remaining gap.

The region continues to run largely on Central support rather than its own earnings.

At the household level, the budget feels generous and direct. Social security pensions expand to cover over ten lakh people. Families under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana receive ten kilograms of free ration per person every month, along with a proposal for six free LPG cylinders each year.

Children from these families get fee support from Class 9 through college when no other scholarship applies. Around six thousand orphans receive 4,000 every month straight into their bank accounts, bringing a sense of stability to lives often marked by uncertainty.