Budget 2026 LIVE Updates: Waterways, Rail, Banking in Focus

The government plans to operationalise 20 new National Waterways over the next five years. In addition, measures will be taken to strengthen inland and coastal connectivity. This includes setting up training institutes as regional centres of excellence.

It also includes developing a ship repair ecosystem for inland waterways in Varanasi and Patna. Furthermore, the government is launching a coastal cargo scheme to boost the share of coastal shipping and inland waterways.

To improve inter-city connectivity, the government will develop seven high-speed rail corridors as growth connectors. These will include Mumbai–Pune, Hyderabad–Pune, Hyderabad–Bengaluru, Chennai–Bengaluru, Delhi–Varanasi, and Varanasi–Siliguri. Additionally, the Budget proposes enhancing last-mile and remote connectivity to support the manufacturing of seaplanes.

On the financial sector front, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the formation of a high-level committee on banking for Viksit Bharat. This committee will undertake a comprehensive review of the sector. She also proposed restructuring Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and REC Limited. These are two state-owned NBFCs under the Ministry of Power.

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