It is not without merit that just as a democracy is the government of the people, by the people and for the people and in the same way we can construe that budget in a democratic government and its functioning is the tool of the people, by the people and for the people and the ultimate beneficiaries are the plebians and it is the blessing of a democracy. With this people’s interests in view our chief minister has entered into consultations with the almost all sectors and stakeholders of Jammu and Kashmir divisions and this consultation and participation process is near completion and the chief minister Omar Abdullah who also holds the finance portfolio in the UT has done very nice to have held pre-budget consultations with different stakeholders and he has got the feedback from different sectors of the Jammu and Kashmir economy. It is hoped that the upcoming budget exercise will be initiated with the objective of people first and as the CM rightly started that the new budget for the Jammu and Kashmir Ut should be people oriented and in this approach of the chief minister lies the doctrine of the democracy that the interests of the citizens are supreme and so the new budget should give emphasis on the policies, schemes and priorities of the people New budget should aim at balanced, inclusive and sustainable development. Chief minister Omar Abdullah has started wide-ranging consultations on the forth coming budget. Omar who also holds the portfolio of finance met legislators, trade unions, various stakeholders, tourism related people, educationists, agriculturists, horticulturists, entrepreneurs, and other people’s representatives. This interaction aimed at collecting valuable feedback from different sectors to help shape policies and ensure effective allocations of resources. The, pre-budget consultations play a crucial role in addressing key economic challenges and focussing on inclusive growth. The suggestions received during consultations would help in framing a pragmatic budget framework. J&K saw upheavals in 2025.Thye year started on a high note as the Kashmir hosted a record of tourists. Came 22rd April tourism crumbled down. A terrorist act in Pahalgam left Kashmir reeling.26 people ,most of them tourists were brutally killed in Baisaran valley near Pahalgam. Before April 22,thue valley was bursting at the seams with tourists. Over 5.2 to 5 lakh tourists had visited the valley in the first three months of 2025.Even before the people could recover from the terrorist tragedy, floods wreaked havoc on Jammu and Kashmir. Roads ,infrastructure Agriculture ,horticulture, suffered huge damage. Jammu division suffered most. Over ,150 people died due to floods and 178 were injured in Jammu division alone.1455 Live- stock was perished. Crops over 1300 hectares were damaged. The government needs to look towards to the problems of agriculturists and horticulturists. Agriculture /horticulture and tourism are the two mainstays of the Jammu and Kashmir economy and the government should focus on these sectors in the budget and make adequate budgetary allocations for these two sectors while not ignoring other sectors as well. Following the restoration of local governance, the 2026-27 budget is highly anticipated to address agriculture and tourism which are the two main stays of J&K economy. The, coming budget should focus on job creation, infrastructure development and supporting key sectors of tourism and agriculture. Based on the pre-budget consultations held by the chief minister Omar Abdullah in January 2026, the expectations from the J&K UT Budget for 2026-27 are focused on economic rejuvenation, infrastructure Development and much needed employment generation. The budget is expected to reflect the people’s aspirations following wide ranging discussions with different stakeholders from both the divisions of the Jammu and Kashmir.

Budgeting is a planning and controlling tool and it sets forth the expenditures and revenues and allocations for the various sectors of the economy are made so that the ultimate kings of the government in a democracy- people are benefitted.
Key Expectations & Priorities from the upcoming JK Budget are as follows-1—Economic Relief & Employment Generation—a—Job Creation—Addressing high unemployment is a major focus, with allotments for initiatives that support local youth, including skill development and employment as well as entrepreneurial support. Skilled and educated youth of J&K should be absorbed in government jobs and this is a pressing as well as genuine demand of unemployed youth and the UT government should pay top most attention towards this problem and provide employment to ever rising number of educated youth. b—Support for key sectors—The two main sectors of Jammu and Kashmir economy are tourism and agriculture and adequate provisions should be made to uplift these two sectors of the economy. The floods of 2025 have badly impacted agriculture and horticulture and the agriculturists and orchardists are demanding relief package and they rightly deserve it. They seek crop and fruit insurance and in this regard they deserve favours.-c—Business Relief—The Indian chamber of commerce and industry Jammu -ICC has proposed 5% working capital subsidy for MSME’s towards productivity -linked incentives and extension of SGST reimbursements until 2031.d—Industrial Incentives—A pragmatic ,long-term industrial promotional incentives to boost investment and support the existing industries.-e-Support for specific groups—Targeted provisions for ex-servicemen, ex-Agni veers and persons with disabilities.
2—Industrial and Urban Development—a—Roads and connectivity—Enhanced funding for road widening ,new road projects and improvements in rural connectivity .b—Urban Services—Specific demands for better and scientific waste management at the Achan landfill, upgradation of sewerage treatment plants and the traffic bottlenecks in Srinagar and Jammu .c—Tourism Infrastructure—Development of new tourist destinations such as Gurez, Keran, and Karnah and upgrading existing ones to boost tourism contribution to GSDP.
3---Public Services and Welfare---a –Power Supply—Urgent improvements in power infrastructure and reduce shortages particularly during winters. B—Healthcare upgradation—Enhanced staffing for health centres strengthening of medical facilities and establishment of more clinics in rural areas. c—Education—Better school facilities, establishment of new colleges and setting up of public libraries.-d—Water Supply—Improvement in drinking water quality and supplementing the water supply.
4---Special Focus Areas—a—Regional Balance—The budget is expected to ensure equitable development and inclusive development of both Jammu and Kashmir divisions. b—Climate Resilience—Dedicated allocati0ons for Disaster management such as floods and landslides protection. c—Tribal Welfare—Continued support for the development of tribal areas including hostels and nomad shelters.
In brief the upcoming UT budget should be people cantered and focus in the budget should be on regional and equitable as well as inclusive development of both the regions of the UT. It, is hoped that the CM who also holds the portfolio of finance will unveil and present a balanced, growth -oriented people’s budget which should fulfil the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir is a cash deficit ,starved UT and unemployment is the major challenge before the government and the NC-Congress regime should address these important issues and make enough provisio0ns fort these two in the upcoming budget for Jammu and Kashmir. Government should expend money judiciously and use it most productively and save money for the rainy day as well.

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