Healthcare Gets Major Push as Budget 2026-27 Allocates Rs 10,000 Crore for Bio Pharma Shakti

New Delhi, Feb 1: Healthcare received a significant boost in the Union Budget 2026-27, with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announcing a Rs 10,000 crore allocation for the newly unveiled Bio Pharma Shakti scheme aimed at strengthening India’s capabilities in biologics and biosimilar drugs and positioning the country as a global bio-pharma hub.

Presenting the Budget in Parliament on Sunday, Sitharaman said the initiative would promote the development and manufacturing of advanced bio-medicines, which are critical in addressing the rising burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and other chronic illnesses.

As part of the healthcare push, the Finance Minister also announced plans to create one lakh Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) across 10 key disciplines, including optometry, radiology and anaesthesia, over the next five years. This move is expected to strengthen the healthcare workforce and improve service delivery, particularly in underserved areas.

In another major announcement, Sitharaman said the government would facilitate the training of 1.5 lakh caregivers under geriatric care and National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF)-aligned programmes, responding to the growing needs of India’s ageing population.

The Budget also proposes the establishment of additional emergency and trauma care centres across the country, along with the development of mental health institutions on the lines of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), to expand access to specialised mental healthcare services.

Highlighting the broader economic context, Sitharaman said India’s economic journey since the Narendra Modi-led government assumed office has been characterised by fiscal discipline and sustained growth. She noted that the Budget for 2026-27 proposes targeted interventions across six sectors, including manufacturing, strategic and frontier sectors, healthcare, and advanced technology.

Among other measures, the Finance Minister announced plans to scale up manufacturing in strategic and frontier sectors and to develop city economic regions to support balanced regional growth.

Emphasising the government’s reform agenda, Sitharaman said comprehensive reforms aimed at generating employment, boosting productivity and accelerating growth have been undertaken. “Over 350 reforms have been rolled out, the ‘Reforms Express’ is well on its way, and India will continue to take confident steps towards Viksit Bharat, balancing ambition with inclusion,” she said.

She added that the Union Budget, prepared at Kartavya Bhavan, is anchored in three core kartavyas—to accelerate and sustain economic growth, fulfil the aspirations of the people by building capacity, and ensure equitable access to resources for every family, community and region.