NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday presented a Rs 1 lakh crore budget for the financial year 2025-26, unveiling a vision for a well-connected and progressive Delhi.
With a sharp focus on infrastructure development, the budget prioritises ten key sectors, including transport, roads, water, and electricity, with capital expenditure seeing a significant rise to Rs 28,000 crore.
The government has allocated Rs 12,952 crore to improve Delhi’s public transport system, marking a 38 per cent increase from the previous financial year.
Additionally, Rs 3,843 crore has been set aside for road and bridge infrastructure. Gupta also announced that Delhi’s electric bus fleet will exceed 5,000 by FY 2025-26.
The budget includes Rs 2,929.66 crore for Delhi Metro projects under Phase IV, which will cover corridors such as Lajpat Nagar-Saket G Block, Inderlok-Indraprastha, and Rithala-Bawana-Narela-Nathupur.
The chief minister criticised the previous AAP government, stating, “The AAP government did not pay any money to clear its Rs 6,000 crore liability towards the Centre for Phase IV of the Delhi Metro.”
Gupta also highlighted a new initiative to provide smart cards for free travel to women in public transport buses, addressing concerns raised by a CAG report on a Rs 14,000 crore loss to the Delhi Transport Corporation.
“There was a pink ticket scam in the previous government in the name of offering free travel to women. The card will allow women to travel freely on public buses anytime, eliminating corruption linked to ticketing,” she said, adding that the entire system would be digitised for better efficiency.
To enhance connectivity with the NCR region, the government has earmarked Rs 1,000 crore for various projects. Gupta reiterated the administration’s commitment to improving urban infrastructure, stating, “Our goal is to make Delhi’s public transport more accessible, reliable, and recognised globally.”