Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday is currently presenting the annual budget at the Parliament. Nirmala Sitharaman presented her record 8th consecutive budget today in the Lok Sabha.
₹99,858.56 Crore allocated to Health Ministry
“The Union Budget 2025-26 significantly invests in healthcare, allocating ₹99,858.56 Crore to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. This represents a 191% increase since 2014-15, demonstrating the government’s commitment to improving the health and well-being of all citizens,” the Union Health Ministry posted on X.
Viksit Bharat encompasses zero poverty, 100 pc quality education, comprehensive healthcare, says Finance Minister Sitharaman in her budget speech.
She also announced establishment of makhana board in Bihar. “Makhana Board will be established in Bihar to improve production and processing of fox nut,” Sitharaman said.
Medical seats, daycare cancer centre in FM’s annual budget
1.1 lakh medical undergraduate and postgraduate seats have been added since 2014, said Sitharaman, and added that in the next year 10,000 additional seats to be added in hospitals and colleges. She also added that government will facilitate setting up of daycare cancer centre in all district hospitals in next 3 years.
To provide relief to patients suffering from cancer, rare diseases 36 life saving drugs to be fully exempted from custom duty; 6 life saving medicines for concessional exemption.
Cost norms for nutritional support programmes to be enhanced
Presenting the annual budget, Sitharaman said Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 programmes provide nutritional support to over 8 crore children, 1 crore pregnant and lactating women, and 20 lakh adolescent girls in aspirational districts and the northeast region. “The cost norms for these nutritional support (programmes) will be enhanced accordingly,” the finance minister said.
Medical tourism in India to be promoted in partnership with private sector
Promoting medical tourism boosts a country’s economy by attracting international patients, increasing foreign exchange earnings, and creating jobs in healthcare and hospitality. It enhances healthcare infrastructure, encouraging investments in hospitals, advanced technology, and skilled professionals. Medical tourism fosters global collaboration, improving medical research and expertise. Patients benefit from high-quality, cost-effective treatments with shorter wait times. It also supports traditional medicine like Ayurveda, expanding cultural influence. By positioning a country as a global healthcare hub, medical tourism strengthens diplomatic ties, promotes wellness tourism, and enhances the overall reputation of its medical services on an international scale.
Exemption of basic customs duty on 36 life-saving drugs
36 lifesaving drugs and medicines fully exempted from Basic Customs Duty (BCD). 6 lifesaving medicines to attract concessional customs duty of 5%. Specified drugs and medicines under Patient Assistance Programmes run by pharmaceutical companies fully exempted from BCD; 37 more medicines added along with 13 new patient assistance programmes, the finance minister announced on Saturday.
Jal Jeevan Mission expanded till 2028
“Mission to be extended until 2028 with an enhanced total outlay,” the finance minister said in her budget speech.
“The extension of Jal Jeevan Mission to 2028 is a big step to ensure the safety of domestic water supply services in rural India, which will also help cover the remaining 20% of the rural households (about 3.9 crores) with tap connections. There is a need to ensure the reliability and potability of water supply as well, in addition to creating infrastructure. This extension will work towards that by focusing on the quality of water supply infrastructure, and efficient operations and maintenance through community participation. Additionally, there should be a focus on ensuring the quality of supplied water and strengthening the data monitoring infrastructure,” Nitin Bassi, Senior Programme Lead, CEEW said.
“One of the key elements that empowers people is quality, affordable and accessible healthcare”
“The budget reinforces the nation’s journey towards realizing the vision of a Viksit Bharat by driving growth and prioritizing key sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and healthcare. In this journey focusing on people is important and the Finance Minister in the Union Budget 2025 said that a country is not just its soil but also its people; indeed, one of the key elements that empowers people is quality, affordable and accessible healthcare. The Budget reflects a strong commitment to strengthening India’s healthcare ecosystem, with commendable initiatives in medical education, cancer care, and access to life-saving medicines. The addition of 10,000 medical seats by next year with an aim to add 75,000 medical seats over the next five years will help bridge the doctor-patient ratio, while the establishment of 200 cancer centers will significantly enhance oncology care across the country. The exemption of customs duty on critical drugs for cancer and rare diseases is a much-needed step to make advanced treatments more affordable. We also welcome the government’s emphasis on medical tourism through the ‘Heal in India’ initiative, which will further position India as a global healthcare destination. Continued investments in healthcare infrastructure, innovation, and accessibility will be key to ensuring quality care for all and achieving a truly ‘Viksit Bharat’ in healthcare,” said Abhay Soi, Chairman and Managing Director, Max Healthcare Institute Limited.
“Government is recognising that cancer is increasing in India”
“It’s in two parts, one part is that the main budget for healthcare and other sectors was announced in July, all those regulations are now carrying on, what this Budget adds on, is three-four things that are important in moving the sector forward. One was the fact that there is a 10,000 more medical education seats to be created, you need more doctors, it’s part of 75,000 seats announced last time, so operationalising 10,000 this time is a good move. Second was the recognition of fact that cancer is increasing in India and cancer treatment is expensive, and the component that is adding a lot of cost is duty on cancer drugs, so in the wisdom of the government, they have taken away full exemption to the customs duty which is a big help to the patients,” Medanta Hospitals MD and CII Healthcare Council Chairman Naresh Trehan told PTI.
Meanwhile, the Economic Survey tabled in Parliament on Friday projected India’s economy to grow between 6.3 per cent and 6.8 per cent in the next financial year 2025-26. The survey, tabled a day before the union budget, highlights that the country’s economic fundamentals remain strong, supported by a stable external account, fiscal consolidation, and private consumption. “The fundamentals of the domestic economy remain robust, with a strong external account, calibrated fiscal consolidation and stable private consumption. On balance of these considerations, we expect that the growth in FY26 would be between 6.3 and 6.8 per cent,” it said.
The budget allocation for the Department of Health & Family Welfare increased by 85% from Rs. 47,353 cr in 2017-18 (BE) to Rs. 87,657 cr in 2024-25 (BE)
The budget allocation for the Department of Health & Family Welfare (DoHFW) has increased by 85% from Rs. 47,353 crores in 2017-18 (BE) to Rs. 87,657 crores in 2024-25 (BE). Further, the 15th Finance Commission provided Rs. 70,051 crore Grants for health through the local Governments.
The Indian government had allocated ₹90,958 crore for healthcare in the 2024-25 fiscal year, reflecting a 2% increase from the previous year focusing on enhancing infrastructure, strengthening existing healthcare programs, and integrating maternal and child health initiatives under the National Health Mission to improve overall healthcare services.
Nirmala Sitharaman creates history with 8th consecutive budget
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday made history as she presented a record eighth consecutive budget, which comes in the backdrop of slowdown in economy and demand for tax cuts for middle class.
This will take Sitharaman closer to the record of 10 budgets that were presented by former Prime Minister Morarji Desai over different time periods. Desai has presented a total of 6 budgets during his tenure as finance minister from 1959 to 1964, and 4 budgets between 1967 and 1969.
Nirmala Sitharaman and Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary met President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan ahead of the Union Budget.
President Murmu offered ‘dahi-chini’ to the Union Finance Minister. This is a customary sign of wishing good-luck. During their meeting, the Finance Minister was seen discussing the contours of the Budget proposals with the President. Sitharaman had in her first Budget in 2019 replaced the leather briefcase — which was in use for decades for carrying Budget documents — with a traditional ‘bahi-khata’ wrapped in red cloth. This year’s Budget would be in paperless form, as done in the last three years.
The first part of the Budget session will continue till February 13 and the two Houses will again meet on March 10 after recess with the session concluding on April 4.