New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta presented a Rs 1.03 lakh crore budget for 2026-27 today, dedicating approximately Rs 21,630 crore exclusively to “environmental sustainability and pollution mitigation” after trying to underplay the pollution threat to the city several times last year. The budget allocates Rs 300 crore specifically for pollution control and emergency measures, a category that lacked dedicated standalone funding in the previous year. Shifting focus to the Yamuna river’s periphery, the state government, in partnership with the Delhi Development Authority, is developing cycle tracks and will install solar panels atop large drains. This contrasts with the 2025-26 fiscal year, when Rs 500 crore was allocated for 40 decentralised sewage treatment plants alongside Rs2,050 crore in grants to the Delhi Jal Board. To encourage zero-emission transport, 1,000 women and 100 transgender individuals will be issued free e-auto permits. Additionally, the government will establish 10 new cow shelters.The heightened financial focus on the environment follows public scrutiny over Gupta’s remarks late last year, when she stated that the Air Quality Index (AQI) is a temperature that can be measured with any instrument. Furthermore, according to news reports, opposition members and environmentalists alleged the state manipulated pollution data by deploying municipal water sprinklers directly at monitoring stations in areas such as Anand Vihar and Jahangirpuri to artificially lower the readings.During her 115-minute address, Gupta stated the financial roadmap marks an 8% increase from the Rs 95,358 crore net expenditure of 2025-26. Outlining 10 core focus areas, Gupta stated every scheme was evaluated through a green lens, pivoting from macro-infrastructure to targeted quality-of-life improvements for residents. The legislative session began after a bomb threat was emailed at 7:30 a.m. to assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta. Police personnel searched the assembly premises but found no suspicious items, though searches continued throughout the day. Aam Aadmi Party legislators staged a walkout to protest the ongoing suspension of four of their MLAs. The opposition held a demonstration outside the assembly carrying a bier, alleging the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party was responsible for the “murder of democracy”.‘No physical rollout yet’Addressing the Mahila Samridhi Yojana, which was launched last year with a Rs 5,100 crore allocation to provide Rs 2,500 monthly to poor women, Gupta acknowledged that the physical rollout of the scheme had not yet begun. She stated an inquiry committee has finalised beneficiary criteria, and the allocation has been increased to Rs 5,110 crore, with a dedicated portal launching soon. Last year, the government also increased baseline pensions for distressed women and persons with disabilities from Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000. For the current fiscal year, the budget provides Rs 260 crore to issue one free LPG cylinder to eligible households on Holi and Diwali. Furthermore, the state will build restrooms equipped with phone-charging stations for gig workers next to Atal Canteens, which serve subsidised meals for Rs 5.The health sector received an allocation of Rs 1,500 crore, combining state and central funds, to establish 750 new Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. This expands on the 370 primary clinics opened last year. In the previous budget, health received 14.5% of the total outlay, amounting to Rs 12,894 crore, primarily funding the rollout of Ayushman Bharat with Rs 2,144 crore and the PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission with Rs1,667 crore. Under a new initiative titled Project ANMOL (Advanced Newborn Monitoring and Optimal Life Care), Rs 25 crore is budgeted to provide 56 diagnostic tests free of charge for every newborn, in both private and government hospitals, using a single drop of blood. The state will also construct 1,000 modern toilet blocks to be kept open 24 hours a day.The education budget prioritises student welfare, setting aside Rs90 crore to distribute free bicycles to 1.3 lakh Class 9 girl students in government schools. The government will also install sanitary pad vending machines across schools, targeting the distribution of 2.5 crore free pads annually. Gupta stated she has requested the Union government to establish 10 new Kendriya Vidyalayas in Delhi. Last year, education received a 21.4% allocation, or Rs 19,039 crore, which funded 7,000 smart classrooms and provided Rs 100 crore for 60 ‘CM Shri’ schools.To address traffic congestion, Rs10 crore is allocated for a feasibility study and mapping project to identify required roads and flyovers. After a successful pilot project in Chandni Chowk, Rs 200 crore has been budgeted to move overhead electrical wires underground. This marks a shift from the previous year’s Rs3,600 crore allocation strictly for consumer power subsidies. Citing a lack of space in currently rented government offices, Gupta announced the construction of an “Integrated Secretariat” and a state guest house titled “Delhi Sadan”. To drive visionary urban planning, the government will establish the Delhi Institutional Thinktank for Innovation (DITI Aayog), mirroring the creation of a Traders’ Welfare Board for the commercial sector last year. In the security sector, Rs 225 crore is allocated to procure 50,000 new street cameras and maintain the existing network, while the Fire Department received Rs 674 crore for infrastructure upgrades. In the 2025-26 budget, Rs 183 crore was allocated specifically for upgrading Forensic Science laboratories under the police budget.