Union Education Budget 2026 Live Updates: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday presented her ninth consecutive Union Budget 2026–27. In the Union Budget 2026–27, the Ministry of Education has been allocated Rs 1,39,285.95 crore, an increase of about 8.27 per cent over last year’s allocation of Rs 1,28,650 crore. The allocation for the Department of School Education and Literacy has risen from Rs 78,572 crore in 2025–26 to Rs 83,561.41 crore this year, marking an increase of around 6.35 per cent.
The Department of Higher Education has also seen a jump, with its allocation increasing from Rs 50,078 crore to Rs 55,724.54 crore, a rise of approximately 11.28 per cent.
Nirmala Sitharaman announced the government will ensure at least one girls’ hostel in every district and set up a new institute for design in the Northeast.
The Budget also proposes support for the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies, Mumbai, to establish content labs in 15,000 secondary schools. In addition, the NDA government plans to set up five university townships near major industrial and logistics centres.
The Finance Minister also announced proposals linked to healthcare and mental health. These include setting up three new National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research and upgrading seven existing ones. The government will also create a network of 1,000 accredited clinical trial sites across the country.
Further, Sitharaman said 3 new AIIMs and institutes for Ayurveda will be established, and a second NIMHANS will be set up to strengthen mental health services.
Stay tuned to this LIVE blog for all the latest updates on the Education Budget 2026 LIVE.
