Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, who also holds the Finance portfolio, today presented the Budget for 2026-27 with an outlay of Rs 2.23 lakh crore, registering a growth of 10.28 per cent.No new taxes have been imposed in the Budget which proposes several key initiatives, including a dedicated power distribution company for the agriculture sector, a mission to cleanse the Yamuna, Rs 100-crore Haryana Green Climate Resilience Fund, 20 per cent reservation for Agniveers and setting up of an anti-terrorist squad (ATS) while making a provision for the inclusion of women commandos in the ATS among others.Sporting a saffron turban, Saini, who arrived in the Assembly to present the Budget, was greeted with the slogan “Jo Bole So Nihal” by the treasury benches.The shadow of the Punjab Assembly elections, slated for next year, was clearly evident in the Budget speech presented by the Haryana Chief Minister as he fell back upon the Gurus and their teachings to drive home the point that his Budget was not merely about income and expenditure but was inspired by “kirat karo, naam jappo, vand chhako”. These are the three pillars of the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev. He concluded his over three-hour speech invoking the words of Guru Ravidas that he wanted a state where everybody had food to eat and lived happily.Saini has been entrusted with the task of reaching out to the people of Punjab by the BJP. He has been trying to “bridge the gap between Punjab and Haryana” while showcasing Haryana as a model of good governance. During his speech, he also announced the setting up of Adarsh Pariksha Kendra on a public-private partnership model, a “wedding city” each in Gurugram, Kharkhoda and Pinjore on the concept of “Wed in India”, a film city at Pinjore, besides stating that Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex, Daulatabad, will be upgraded to the state’s first “Para Sports Stadium” and Haryana’s oldest Aravalli Golf Course in Faridabad would be developed as a world-class recreation and sports destination.Stating that his “non-stop government” had fulfilled 60 of the 217 manifesto promises, Saini said he received nearly 15,000 suggestions through various channels and included nearly 5,000 of these.Presenting a total Budget of Rs 2,23,658.17 crore for 2026-27, 10.28 per cent higher than the revised estimates of Rs 2,02,816.66 crore for 2025-26, Saini said the fiscal deficit was estimated at Rs 40,293.17 crore, which was 2.65 per cent of the GDP.Calling it a landmark achievement, the Chief Minister said for the first time in the state’s history, nearly 98 per cent of the total budget was expected to be utilised.SYL finds no mention in CM’s speechThe Budget made no mention of the government’s commitment to the construction of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal. Officials termed it a slip, stating that a budget of Rs 100 crore had been set aside for its construction even though it did not find mention in the speech.Reiterating the target of making Haryana a one trillion dollar economy by 2047, Saini said the Haryana Vision Document-2047 would serve as a roadmap in this direction.Saini underlined the assistance of Rs 2,716 crore from the World Bank for the Haryana Clean Air Project approved in December last year, Rs 5,715 crore for the Water Secure Haryana Project and Rs 474 crore for the Haryana AI Mission likely to come by October this year.With focus on farmers, the CM said, “To ensure faster release of connections and reliable and uninterrupted electricity supply for farmers, I propose to establish a third power distribution company in the state — the Haryana Agri DISCOM.”Saini proposed to provide an additional bonus of Rs 2,000 per acre to farmers who choose to cultivate pulses, oilseeds and cotton in place of paddy. Last year, an incentive of Rs 8,000 per acre was given to farmers who gave up paddy cultivation.The CM also announced providing the HPV vaccine to three lakh girls between 14 and 15 years of age at every district hospital and sub-divisional hospital across the state for the prevention of cervical cancer.He proposed the setting up of the Haryana Sainik and Ardh Sainik Kalyan Nigam to provide ex-servicemen and former paramilitary personnel “dignified opportunities”. A Rs 140-crore waiver of outstanding surcharge on water and sewerage bills, an “urban green fund” of Rs 100 crore for plantation, a dedicated small traders and MSME insurance scheme for affordable insurance coverage were among the many initiatives announced by the CM.