Share your story and shine at JK Monitor!🌟 Welcome to JK Monitor, where every story matters and every achievement is celebrated! We invite you to share the remarkable journey of your life and showcase your accomplishments to the world. Join our exclusive interviews that honor exceptional individuals just like you. JAMMU/NEW DELHI: The Union Budget 2026–27 has sparked wide-ranging reactions across education, infrastructure, technology, gig economy, agriculture, healthcare, and innovation ecosystems. A strong, unifying theme emerges from expert voices: India is no longer treating education, skills, and infrastructure as isolated sectors, but as interconnected pillars of long-term economic growth and global competitiveness.
Education as Economic Infrastructure, Not Just a Social Sector
Abhineet Sharma, Founder, RoboSpecies, underscored the shift from theoretical to applied learning.
“India’s education transformation will succeed only when learning moves beyond screens and textbooks. The real impact will come from investing in hands-on STEM infrastructure—robotics labs, AI learning spaces, and innovation-driven classrooms, especially in Tier-2 and Tier-3 schools.”
Calling education “long-term economic infrastructure,” Sharma stressed that experiential STEM learning is critical to employability and innovation.
Echoing this view, Nishant Chandra, Co-founder, Newton School, said the Budget marks a structural shift in policy thinking.
“Education is no longer being treated as a standalone social sector, but as a core economic enabler. The Education-to-Employment and Enterprise Standing Committee signals system-level coordination between education, jobs, and productivity.”
Ashwin Damera, Co-founder & CEO, Eruditus, welcomed the committee but flagged execution as the key challenge.
“India does not suffer from a lack of degrees—it suffers from a lack of job readiness. The real test will be whether industry is brought into curriculum design and institutions are held accountable for placement outcomes.”
School Education, Inclusion and Girls’ Participation Get a Boost
School leaders welcomed the ₹83,562.26 crore allocation for school education, a 6.35% rise.
Ms. Ritu Sharma, Dharav High School, Vidyadhar Nagar, called the Budget “forward-looking and inclusive.”
“The Education to Employment Standing Committee signals a shift from degree-oriented to skill-oriented learning. Girls’ hostels in every district will significantly improve participation of young women, especially in STEM.”
Ms. Nishi Dhanjal, Principal, Dharav High School, Ajmer Road, added:
“This Budget connects classroom learning with real-world skills, technology and inclusivity, laying the groundwork for a globally competitive education system.”
From higher education institutions, Vijay Talreja, Managing Trustee, Vivekanand Education Society, described the Budget as “refreshing and student-focused,” highlighting AI integration and women’s hostels as progressive moves aligned with Viksit Bharat 2047.
Creativity, Design and the Orange Economy in Focus
Aditi Srivastava, President, Pearl Academy, highlighted the Budget’s recognition of creativity as an economic driver.
“The focus on AVGC, content creation labs, and a new National Institute of Design addresses the massive talent demand expected by 2030. Creativity is now being positioned as a core growth engine.”
This was reinforced by Mythri Kumar, Co-founder, TimBuckDo, who welcomed formal recognition of the gig economy.
“Social security, digital IDs and access to government services bring long-awaited dignity and stability to gig workers, creators, and independent professionals.”
Infrastructure: Capex with a Call for Productivity
On infrastructure, Mayank Pathak, Founder & MD, Translite Formwork & Scaffolding, praised continuity in capital expenditure.
“Predictable capex enables better planning, but the next phase must focus on productivity, safety and execution excellence. Mechanised construction and modern formwork systems are no longer optional.”
Cloud, AI and Digital Sovereignty
While welcoming incentives for data centres, Ishan Talathi, CEO & Founder, CloudPe, raised a cautionary note.
“The question is: are we building cloud leadership or just hosting it? Without strengthening Indian cloud platforms, we risk becoming a reseller rather than a global compute leader.”
Skilling, Services and Tier-2 & Tier-3 India
Anil Nagar, Co-founder & Group CEO, Adda Education, highlighted the Budget’s focus on non-metro India.
“Aligning skills with AI across healthcare and services in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities is essential if India is to claim 10% of the global services economy by 2047.”
However, Rohit Kumar, Founding Partner, The Quantum Hub, offered a measured critique.
“Despite a sharp rise in the skilling budget, last year’s underspending raises concerns. Announcements must translate into actual outcomes.”
Global Education and Financial Relief for Families
Aman Singh, Co-founder, GradRight, welcomed the reduction in TCS on education remittances.
“Cutting TCS from 5% to 2% brings predictability and affordability to overseas education planning, offering real relief to families.”
Agriculture, Health and Deep-Tech Push
Dr. Pushpendra P. Singh, Dean CAPS & Project Director, ANNAM.AI, IIT Ropar, praised the tech-driven farm vision.
“Bharat Vistaar and AI-powered, climate-smart agriculture will help farmers reduce risk, optimise inputs and improve livelihoods.”
In healthcare and pharma, Dr. Supriya Shidhaye, Principal, VES College of Pharmacy, described the Biopharma SHAKTI Mission as “transformative,” shifting India from generics to innovation-led pharmaceutical leadership.
The Road Ahead: Execution Will Decide Success
Across sectors, experts agree that Budget 2026–27 sets a strong strategic direction—linking education with employment, creativity with commerce, and infrastructure with productivity. As Nishant Chandra summed up: “The success of Budget 2026 will not be judged by announcements, but by outcomes—faster school-to-work transitions, stronger job readiness, and higher productivity.”
Reacting to the Budget, Sminu Jindal, Founder–Chairperson of Svayam and Managing Director of Jindal SAW Ltd, said the government’s emphasis on skills and employment for persons with disabilities is a positive step forward, but cautioned that intent must be matched with systemic design.
“The Union Budget 2026 introduces several schemes aimed at supporting the livelihoods and empowerment of divyangjan and rightly underscores the importance of skills and employment. This focus is encouraging,” Jindal said.
She emphasized that meaningful inclusion goes beyond schemes and subsidies, and requires accessibility to be embedded across both physical and digital infrastructure—from public transport and buildings to online platforms and services.
“Meaningful inclusion can be achieved only when accessibility is embedded as a core principle, particularly across physical and digital infrastructure,” she noted.
Highlighting a specific Budget announcement, Jindal referred to the proposal to develop 15 archaeological sites with curated walks as a welcome tourism initiative, but warned that its benefits could remain limited if accessibility is overlooked.
“The proposal to develop archaeological sites with curated walks is a positive move for promoting tourism, but without comprehensive accessibility integration, its impact will remain limited,” she said.
Underscoring the scale of the issue, Jindal pointed out that accessibility is not confined to a small section of society. “With around 34% of the population directly affected by reduced mobility, and up to 50% impacted indirectly at the household level, accessibility must be recognized as both a social and economic enabler,” she explained.
According to her, investing in universal design and accessible infrastructure can significantly enhance workforce participation, consumer access, tourism potential, and overall economic productivity. Looking ahead, Jindal expressed hope that upcoming budgets will adopt a stronger, more integrated approach to accessibility.
“We at Svayam hope that future budgets will place stronger emphasis on investments in accessible infrastructure, transport systems, digital platforms, and capacity building to ensure equal participation for all,” she said.
As India advances toward its Viksit Bharat vision, experts like Jindal argue that embedding accessibility at the core of policy and planning is not just a matter of inclusion, but a strategic investment in sustainable and equitable growth.