To boost design and creative education, the Budget announced a new National Institute of Design (NID) in the eastern region and support for the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies to establish content creator labs in 15,000 schools and 5,000 colleges across the country. The initiative aims to equip students with digital, media and creative skills aligned with new-age careers.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman laid out an expansive roadmap to strengthen India’s education ecosystem, with a focus on institutions, infrastructure and emerging skill needs.
The government also proposed the development of five university townships along industrial corridors, intended to strengthen academia–industry linkages, and announced the construction of one girls’ hostel in every district to improve access to higher education for women.
Additionally, Government has also plans to set up or upgrading of four Telescope Infrastructure facilities, aimed at strengthening scientific research and providing students and researchers access to advanced observational tools.
The government has proposed a total education budget of ₹1,39,289 crore for FY27, up 14.22% from ₹1,21,949 crore in the revised estimates for FY26.
The Union Budget 2026 continues the government’s focus on strengthening education, building on the previous year’s investments in science, technology, and digital education, with 50,000 Atal Tinkering Labs planned in schools over five years, broadband connectivity for rural schools under the BharatNet project, and a Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence announced in Budget 2025.
