UNION BUDGET 2026-27 PROPOSES A SCHEME TO SUPPORT STATES IN ESTABLISHING FIVE REGIONAL MEDICAL HUBS TO PROMOTE MEDICAL TOURISM

Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman while presenting the Union Budget 2026-27 in Parliament  said, “To promote India as a hub for medical tourism services, I propose to launch a Scheme to support States in establishing five Regional Medical Hubs, in partnership with the private sector.”

Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman stated that these Hubs will serve as integrated healthcare complexes that combine medical, educational and research facilities. She also added “They will have AYUSH Centres, Medical Value Tourism Facilitation Centres and infrastructure for diagnostics, post-care and rehabilitation. These Hubs will provide diverse job opportunities for health professionals including doctors and AHPs.”

Tourism

The Finance Minister said, “The Tourism sector has the potential to play a large role in employment generation, forex earnings and expanding the local economy.”

She said, “I propose to set up a National Institute of Hospitality by upgrading the existing National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology. It will function as a bridge between academia, industry and the Government.”

Union  Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman proposed a pilot scheme for upskilling 10,000 guides in 20 iconic tourist sites through a standardized, high-quality 12-week training course in hybrid mode, in collaboration with an Indian Institute of Management.”

She also stated, “A National Destination Digital Knowledge Grid will be established to digitally document all places of significance—cultural, spiritual and heritage. This initiative will create a new ecosystem of jobs for local researchers, historians, content creators and technology partners.”

The Finance Minister said, “India has the potential and opportunity to offer world-class trekking and hiking experience. We will develop ecologically sustainable (i) Mountain trails in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir; Araku Valley in the Eastern Ghats and Podhigai Malai in the Western Ghats. (ii) Turtle Trails along key nesting sites in the coastal areas 14 of Odisha, Karnataka and Kerala; and (iii) Bird watching trails along the Pulikat lake in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.”

She further said, “Under the visionary leadership of Honorable Prime Minister, we established the International Big Cat Alliance in 2024. This year, India is hosting the first ever Global Big Cat Summit, where heads of governments and ministers from 95 range countries will deliberate on collective strategies for conservation.”

Heritage and Culture Tourism

Speaking on the theme of Heritage and Culture Tourism, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman proposed to develop 15 archaeological sites including Lothal, Dholavira, Rakhigarhi, Adichanallur, Sarnath, Hastinapur, and Leh Palace into vibrant, experiential cultural destinations”.

She further said “Excavated landscapes will be opened to the public through curated walkways. Immersive storytelling skills and technologies will be introduced to help conservation labs, interpretation centres, and guides.”

Focus on the Purvodaya States and the North-Eastern Region

Speaking on Purvodaya Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman stated, “I propose the development of an integrated East Coast Industrial Corridor with a well-connected node at Durgapur, creation of 5 tourism destinations in the 5 Purvodaya States, and the provision of 4,000 e-buses.”

Speaking about Buddhist Sites in North-Eastern Region, she said that the North-Eastern Region is a civilizational confluence of Theravada and 18 Mahayana/Vajrayana traditions.

The Finance Minister further proposed  to launch a Scheme for Development of Buddhist Circuits in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura. The Scheme will cover preservation of temples and monasteries, pilgrimage interpretation centers, connectivity and pilgrim amenities.”