Shillong: Meghalaya Chief Minister and Finance Minister Conrad K. Sangma presented his eighth consecutive budget for 2025-26 on Wednesday, with a fiscal deficit of ₹1,970 crore (2.96% of GSDP), staying below the 3.5% permissible limit.
Total receipts are estimated at ₹30,415 crore, including ₹25,591 crore in revenue and ₹4,824 crore in capital receipts. Net receipts, excluding borrowings of ₹4,788 crore, stand at ₹25,627 crore. Total expenditure is projected at ₹30,003 crore, with ₹20,556 crore allocated for revenue and ₹9,447 crore for capital expenditure. After deducting ₹2,406 crore in loan repayments, net expenditure is ₹27,597 crore. Interest payments are estimated at ₹1,347 crore, and pension payments at ₹1,824 crore.
Along with the main budget, Sangma presented the Climate, Youth, Gender, and SDG Budgets. The Climate Budget for 2025-26 is ₹5,421 crore, up 20% from 2024-25, while the Youth Budget stands at ₹3,329 crore (+16.6%) and the Gender Budget at ₹6,219 crore (+25%).
Sangma recalled that when MDA 2.0 was formed in 2023, it aimed to double Meghalaya’s GSDP from ₹42,697 crore to ₹85,000 crore by 2028. Central transfers are projected to rise to ₹20,568 crore in 2025-26 from ₹19,242 crore this year.
The state’s share of central taxes is expected to grow by 10.5% to ₹10,910 crore. Meghalaya’s own tax revenue has surged to ₹4,041 crore this year, almost triple the ₹1,450 crore in 2017-18. It is projected to reach ₹4,226 crore in 2025-26, with GST at ₹2,094 crore, Sales and Trade Taxes at ₹1,180 crore, and Excise at ₹682 crore. With three mining licenses awarded and 20 more in process, non-tax revenue is expected to reach ₹797 crore.
The government allocated ₹618 crore for Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, a 43% increase from last year. In sports, ₹1,900 crore will be spent over three years, including preparations for the 39th National Games. Construction of the ₹732 crore Mawkhanu Football Complex, a 40,000-capacity stadium, will begin next year, positioning Meghalaya as India’s “Football Capital.”
Under CM-ELEVATE, 5,000 beneficiaries will be supported, and subsidies for sports, entertainment, and wellness businesses will increase from 35% to 50%. PRIME startup grants will rise from ₹25 lakh to ₹35 lakh, and scale-up loans from ₹50 lakh to ₹75 lakh. Mini startup grants up to ₹50,000 will also be provided, with ₹70 crore allocated for these initiatives.
For disaster management, ₹186 crore has been allocated, including ₹90 crore from state resources. A new CM Urban Revitalization Scheme will provide grants for infrastructure development in local communities.
The Hili-Mahendraganj transnational corridor aims to improve Meghalaya’s connectivity via Bangladesh. This 100 km route could reduce travel time and costs by 25-60% between Kolkata and key growth centers like Tura, Baghmara, Dalu, and Dawki. NHIDCL has shared road alignment analytics with Bangladesh for a feasibility study.
₹29 crore has been allocated for the Inter-State Border Area Development Program to enhance infrastructure in villages along the Assam border. Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, tap water connections have increased from 4,550 in 2019 to 5.32 lakh today, with full coverage of 6.5 lakh households expected next year. ₹50 crore is set aside for sustainability measures and catchment protection, and an Operations and Maintenance policy has been approved for water supply schemes.
In the power sector, AT&C losses have dropped from 32% to 17% in five years, and zero-defect billing has improved from 65% to 90%. In 2023-24, rural areas received an average of 22.21 hours of power daily, while urban areas got 23.14 hours. ₹1,088 crore has been allocated to the power sector, with ₹606 crore as capital contribution.
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma mentioned in his speech that Meghalaya remains the only state spending nearly 8% of its budget on health, as recommended by the 15th Finance Commission. The health budget has nearly doubled from ₹1,071 crore in 2018-19 to ₹1,971 crore in 2024-25. Over five years, 916 health infrastructure projects have added 770 beds. The Chief Minister’s Safe Motherhood Scheme, which offers free transport and accommodation for high-risk pregnancies, has reduced maternal deaths by 50% and infant deaths by 32% (2020-24). Seeing its success, ₹21 crore has been allocated for its continuation. The overall Health and Family Welfare budget for 2025-26 is ₹2,176 crore (+13%), including ₹1,664 crore from state resources.
To enhance digital learning, 750 digital libraries are being built statewide at a cost of over ₹162 crore. The Education Department has been allocated ₹3,654 crore, including ₹2,770 crore from state resources, with ₹1,403 crore for grant-in-aid salaries and ₹170 crore for capital works.
The CM CARE program, which benefits 1.18 lakh citizens, including senior citizens, single mothers, and differently-abled individuals, has been allocated ₹114 crore. Sangma also announced the Chief Minister’s Scholarship Scheme, which will provide ₹6,000 per annum to 80,000 post-matric students.
Notably, this year’s budget saw citizen participation through pre-budget consultations with engaged citizens, leaders, academicians, and civil society members.
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