Budget reflects government’s policies, intentions and development priorities; major allocations for roads, drinking water, urban infrastructure and sports initiatives
TFP Bureau, Raipur, March 9,2026: The Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly on Monday passed grant demands worth ₹14,655.73 crore for various departments under Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao for the financial year 2026–27, approving significant allocations for drinking water projects, urban development, road infrastructure and sports promotion in the state.
Responding to discussions in the House, Deputy Chief Minister Sao said the state budget clearly reflects the government’s policies, intentions, programmes and future plans. He said the government had presented its budgets in phases focusing on “knowledge” in the first year, “speed” in the second year and “resolution” in the current year, with all three aimed at public welfare and fulfilling people’s aspirations. He added that the government has been working continuously to fulfil every promise made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Assembly approved ₹2,137.75 crore for the Public Health Engineering Department, ₹27.09 crore for Urban Administration and Development–Urban Bodies, ₹4,922.64 crore for Public Works–Roads and Bridges, ₹2,242.74 crore for Public Works–Buildings, ₹1,698.98 crore for Urban Administration–Urban Welfare, ₹15.04 crore for foreign-aided public works projects, ₹3,444.62 crore as financial assistance to urban bodies and ₹166.83 crore for the Sports and Youth Welfare Department.
Public Health Engineering Department
Speaking on drinking water projects, Sao informed the House that the government has made a provision of ₹3,000 crore under the Jal Jeevan Mission in the 2026–27 budget to provide tap water connections to nearly nine lakh families and complete pending schemes across the state. He said payments to construction agencies are being made with transparency and strict evaluation, while projects with more than 80 per cent completion are being prioritised.
He stated that in the past two and a half years, 5,077 water tanks have been constructed and more than 5,028 villages have been certified as “Har Ghar Jal” villages with tap water connections in every household. Out of the 29,173 single-village schemes approved under the mission, around 7,000 have already been completed.
The Deputy Chief Minister also informed that ₹50 crore has been allocated for operation and maintenance of water supply schemes under the mission. In addition, drinking water is being supplied through 7,490 solar pumps across the state, for which ₹3 crore has been earmarked for operation and maintenance.
To strengthen rural drinking water systems, ₹25 crore has been provided for maintenance of nearly three lakh hand pumps installed in villages. The budget also includes ₹20 crore for operation and maintenance of group water supply schemes and ₹30 crore for loans for urban water supply projects.
He further said ₹260 crore has been earmarked for 44 group water supply schemes in rural areas with low groundwater availability under the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development-funded programme. Specific allocations include ₹2 crore for the Sirri Group Water Supply Scheme in Dhamtari district and ₹10 crore for supplying clean drinking water to villages through the Sutiyapat and Bhira Chhirpani reservoirs.
Public Works Department
Highlighting infrastructure development, Sao said the Public Works Department has been allocated ₹9,451 crore in the upcoming budget for construction and repair of roads, bridges and government buildings across Chhattisgarh.
He said the government has prioritised construction of flyovers at key junctions in the capital Raipur to ease traffic congestion and improve urban mobility. Similar flyover projects are also proposed in divisional headquarters.
The Deputy Chief Minister said the government is simultaneously focusing on reducing road accidents. For this purpose, ₹51 crore has been allocated for road safety measures and accident prevention initiatives.
Referring to infrastructure achievements, Sao said that during the silver jubilee year of the state’s formation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Assembly building constructed by the Public Works Department on State Foundation Day on November 1. He added that in the current financial year, the department has completed and inaugurated 148 buildings, while foundation stones for 225 new buildings have also been laid.
Under the OPRMC scheme, ₹59 crore has been approved for maintenance of the 103-km Simga–Kharora–Arang–Nayapara–Kurud road corridor, with a specialised agency appointed for continuous maintenance over five years. Additionally, ₹180 crore has been provided for renovation and regular maintenance of 1,534 km of major roads across the state.
The Deputy Chief Minister informed the House that the department has also strengthened administrative efficiency by creating seven new divisional offices and 12 new sub-divisional offices. Compassionate appointments have been given to 19 family members of deceased employees, while seven cartographers and 80 sub-engineers have been newly appointed.
Urban Administration and Development Department
Sao said the upcoming budget includes major allocations for urban infrastructure and housing. A provision of ₹909.50 crore has been made for Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) 2.0 and the Griha Pravesh Samman Yojana, while ₹467.50 crore has been earmarked for the Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0.
He said ₹512 crore has been allocated for AMRUT Mission 2.0, ₹30 crore for the PM e-Bus Seva Yojana, ₹450 crore for the Chief Minister’s Nagarotthan Yojana and ₹100 crore for construction of Nalanda campuses.
The department has also proposed two new schemes for urban development. An allocation of ₹100 crore has been made for an Underground Electrification Scheme aimed at improving power infrastructure in cities, while ₹200 crore has been earmarked for the Adarsh Shahar Samriddhi Yojana to enhance urban prosperity and civic infrastructure.
In addition, ₹840 crore has been provided for infrastructure development in various urban bodies, ₹5 crore for the Mor Sangwari Seva programme and ₹10 crore for strengthening e-governance initiatives.
Sports and Youth Welfare Department
The Deputy Chief Minister also outlined several initiatives aimed at promoting sports and youth development in the state. The budget provides ₹100 crore for launching the Chief Minister’s Sports Excellence Mission to nurture talented athletes and strengthen sports infrastructure.
He said ₹57 crore has been allocated for the Chhattisgarh Sports Promotion Scheme and ₹1.5 crore for the Yuva Ratna Samman Yojana. Sports academies will receive ₹15 crore to support training and development of young athletes.
To encourage sports culture among youth, the government has also allocated ₹5 crore each for the State Youth Festival, Bastar Olympics and Surguja Olympics. Sao noted that the Bastar Olympics, organised over the past two years, have presented a new and positive image of Bastar, with large participation of youth and women from across the region.
Several MLAs, including Dwarkadish Yadav, Ajay Chandrakar, Vyas Pathak, Sunil Soni, Kunwar Singh Nishad, Dharamjeet Singh, Bholaram Sahu, Motilal Sahu, Tuleshwar Hira Singh Markam, Anuj Sharma, Ram Kumar Yadav, Pramod Minj, Neelkanth Tekam, Rohit Sahu, Pranav Kumar Marpachchi, Lakheshwar Baghel, Lata Usendi, Shakuntala Porte, Uttari Jangde, Ambika Markam and Savitri Mandavi, participated in the discussion on grant demands related to the departments of Public Works, Public Health Engineering, Urban Administration and Sports and Youth Welfare.
