Delhi Budget 2025: Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta is set to present her first budget in the Assembly on Tuesday at 11 am. Notably, this marks the first budget presentation by a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Delhi after 27 years. The five-day Budget session kicked off with a kheer ceremony on Monday.
Before presenting the budget, Chief Minister Gupta, along with her entire cabinet, will visit the Pracheen Hanuman Mandir in Connaught Place. Following the prayers, she will proceed to the Delhi Secretariat, where a cabinet meeting will be held at 9:45 am to approve the budget.
After securing cabinet approval, the Chief Minister will arrive at the Delhi Assembly by 10:30 am, where a photo session will take place. The Assembly session will commence at 11 am, during which CM Gupta will present the budget and deliver her budget speech. Later in the day, at 3 pm, she will hold a press conference to discuss the key highlights of Delhi’s budget.
What to expect?
The budget is expected to reflect key election promises, including the cleaning of the Yamuna River, infrastructure development, and the enhancement of basic amenities.
Last year, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government presented the Budget 2024-25 worth Rs 76,000 crore which was raised to Rs 77,000. The Budget 2025-26 to be tabled in the Assembly is likely to cross Rs 80,000 crore mark, sources in the government told news agency PTI.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has emphasised that this year's budget will prioritise key issues such as women's empowerment, improving Delhi’s struggling power and water supply systems, and addressing drainage problems that worsen during the monsoon season. Additionally, the budget will focus on tackling air pollution, cleaning the Yamuna River, and implementing major reforms in the education sector.
The government is also expected to announce significant initiatives for the healthcare sector, while job creation for youth and enhancing basic facilities for the general public will remain a focal point of the budget.
Chief Minister Gupta said, "Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP is presenting the Delhi Budget after 27 years. Just as Lord Ram returned to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile, we are returning after 27 years." Last week, she said the 'Viksit Delhi' (Developed Delhi) budget will focus on the economic empowerment of women, better education and health services, improved infrastructure, pollution and waterlogging woes.
She said the Budget will be a "peoples' budget", trying to strengthen basic services and emphasise job creation.
Delhi Budget: Kheer Ceremony
Ahead of the budget session on Monday, the Chief Minister hosted a symbolic "Kheer Ceremony," signifying the sweetness of a developed Delhi, while assuring the public that the budget would address the needs of every section of society. Lawyers, students, women, people of Sikh community and auto drivers etc. participated in the Kheer ceremony.
The Delhi government has received over 10,000 suggestions from the people over the Budget provisions through email and a WhatsApp number issued earlier. The consultation process was led by Gupta herself who interacted with people from different cross sections of the society getting their feedback for the Budget proposals. She said the BJP government in Delhi will ensure that the Budget fulfils Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a "Viksit Delhi".
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