Shillong: Meghalaya CM Conrad K Sangma, who also holds the finance portfolio, on Monday presented the budget for the financial year 2026-27, with focus on gender equality, youth and climate, with a fiscal deficit of Rs 2,672 crore, which is around 3.5 per cent of the Gross State Domestic Product and within permissible limits.The Rs 5,572 crore Climate Budget, Rs 4,824 crore Youth Budget and Rs 6,849 crore Gender Budget were presented along with the main budget estimates.
Presenting his ninth consecutive budget, Sangma informed the assembly that excluding borrowings of Rs 5,379 crore, the total receipts are estimated to be Rs 26,621 crore.Similarly, excluding repayment of loans of Rs 2,731 crore, the estimated total expenditure is Rs 29,293 crore.The budget allocation for 2026-2027 among other sectors, include Rs 3,347 crore for education, Rs 2,472 crore for health and family welfare.For the first time capital expenditure has crossed Rs 10,000 crore. The projected capital expenditure of Rs 10,211 crore for 2026-27 is a seven-fold increase from 2017-18 levels of Rs 1,435 crore.“Our aspiration is to place Meghalaya among the top 10 states in per capita income and sustainable development goals achievement by 2032,” the CM said. He also said that Meghalaya has emerged as a star performer under SASCI, a 50-year interest-free facility which is effectively a grant in present value terms for the state govt. This grant amounting to Rs 2,370 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 2,695 crore projected for 2025-26 has been deployed for benefiting farmers, youth and entrepreneurs.Centrally sponsored scheme releases to Meghalaya have more than doubled from Rs 2,965 crore in 2017-18 to an estimated Rs 6,833 crore in 2026-27.“We are implementing Rs 12,166 crore worth of externally aided Projects, among the highest in the northeast under a 90:10 funding model, wherein 90 per cent of repayment is borne by the Govt of India. Our borrowings remain well within the stringent limits prescribed by the Union govt,” the CM said.
