The Union Finance Minister announced a significant expansion of educational infrastructure and skilling programs in the Budget 2026 speech. Key initiatives include establishing new national institutes for design, pharmaceuticals, and Ayurveda. The budget also prioritizes employability through expanded skilling programs across multiple sectors.
New Institutes Established
Three new National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPERs) will be established. A National Institute of Design (NID) will be set up in eastern India. Support will also be provided for a new university township. Five university townships are planned near industrial and logistic corridors to enhance industry-academia links.
Healthcare and Allied Health Professionals Focus
The budget aims to train 1 lakh Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) over the next 10 years. Three new All India Institutes of Ayurveda will be established. Existing AHP institutions will be upgraded. New AHP centers will open in 10 sectors, including optometry and radiology.
The government plans to add 1 lakh AHPs and train 1.5 lakh caregivers within five years. A new scheme will assist states in creating five regional medical hubs. District hospitals will see a 50% capacity increase via new emergency and trauma centers.
STEM and Research Initiatives
A girls’ hostel will be built in every district to improve women’s access to STEM higher education institutions. Four telescope infrastructure facilities will be established or upgraded. These facilities will support research in astrophysics and astronomy.
Skilling and Employability Push
The budget addresses the growing demand in the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics (AVGC) sector. Support will be provided to the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies, Mumbai. AVGC content creator labs will be set up in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges. This aims to offer early exposure and industry-aligned training.
A high-powered ‘Education to Employment and Enterprise’ Standing Committee will be formed. This committee will focus on the services sector. The goal is to achieve a 10% global share in services by 2047. Skilling efforts will be expanded in healthcare, accounting, and tourism sectors. A key focus is on improving employability for graduates.