New Delhi: Carrying a magenta Kanjeevaram sari from vote-bound Tamil Nadu, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her finances speech on Sunday, introduced a slew of tasks for election-bound states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Assam. The contents vary from uncommon earth corridors to high-speed rail corridors and turtle trails.
Final yr, the finance minister was anticipated to put on the Madhubani sari, Bihar’s cultural heritage, to vote later that yr. The normal people artwork kind has its roots within the Mithila area of Bihar and derives its title from the Madhubani district.
A key announcement was the proposal to arrange devoted uncommon earth corridors in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, with the intention of lowering India’s import dependence and strengthening home capability for crucial minerals.
“The Uncommon Earth Everlasting Magnet scheme was launched in November 2025. We now suggest to assist the mineral wealthy states of Odisha, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu to arrange devoted uncommon earth corridors to facilitate mining, processing, analysis and manufacturing,” the finance minister introduced.
The announcement builds on the Middle’s earlier scheme, ‘Sintered Uncommon Earth Everlasting Magnet Manufacturing Promotion Scheme’, permitted in November final yr, with a monetary outlay of Rs 7,280 crore. The corporate aimed to ascertain an built-in REPM manufacturing capability of 6,000 tonnes each year (MTPA) in India, masking the total chain from uncommon earth oxides to completed magnet merchandise.
“By constructing an built-in ecosystem within the nation, this transfer goals to extend independence in crucial enter areas of electrical automobiles, renewable power methods, electronics, aerospace and protection, and place India as a key participant within the international REPM market,” the federal government stated in an announcement final yr.
The finance minister additionally proposed a coconut promotion plan to extend manufacturing and enhance productiveness in main coconut rising states akin to Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
“India is the world’s largest coconut producing nation. Round 30 million individuals, together with practically 10 million farmers, rely on coconut for his or her livelihood. To additional strengthen the competitiveness of coconut manufacturing, we suggest a coconut promotion plan to extend manufacturing and enhance productiveness via varied interventions16, akin to changing outdated and unproductive bushes with new seedlings/crops/varieties, in main coconut producing international locations,” she stated.
The BJP has its eye on Tamil Nadu, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 23 touting the 2026 meeting elections as a battle between “improvement and decline” and highlighting how the state is making ready for a “double engine sarkar” underneath the NDA.
The minister additionally introduced that the Price range additionally proposed a devoted program for Indian cashew and cocoa to make India’s uncooked cashew and cocoa manufacturing and processing self-reliant, strengthen its export competitiveness and rework Indian cashew and cocoa right into a premium international model by 2030.
Excessive-speed rail connectivity was additionally boosted by the Minister of Finance’s proposal to develop seven high-speed rail corridors between main cities to enhance mobility and financial integration.
One of many corridors connecting Hyderabad and Chennai will enhance connectivity between Telangana and Tamil Nadu. Different proposed corridors embrace Varanasi-Siliguri (West Bengal) and Delhi-Varanasi.
“To advertise an environmentally sustainable passenger system, we’ll develop seven intercity high-speed rail corridors as ‘progress connectors’, specifically i) Mumbai-Pune, ii) Pune-Hyderabad, iii) Hyderabad-Bengaluru, iv) Hyderabad-Chennai, v) Chennai-Bengaluru, vi) Delhi-Varanasi, and vii) Varanasi-Siliguri,” she stated in her finances speech.
The Finance Minister additionally proposed establishing a brand new Devoted Freight Hall (DFC) between Dankuni in West Bengal and Surat in Gujarat, creating a serious freight hyperlink between japanese and western India.
Presently, there are two DFCs working in India. The Jap DFC runs from Ludhiana to Dankuni, whereas the Western DFC connects Dadri with Jawaharlal Nehru Port close to Mumbai. The transfer is aimed toward strengthening the motion of products throughout the nation, particularly between Gujarat and japanese areas.
The BJP, spearheaded by House Minister Amit Shah, is making ready for the West Bengal elections.
Stating that India has the potential to supply world-class trekking and mountaineering experiences, the finance minister introduced the event of ecologically sustainable mountain trails in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir. Araku Valley within the Jap Ghats and Podigai Malai within the Western Ghats.
Other than this, it additionally introduced turtle trails alongside main nesting grounds in coastal areas of Odisha, Karnataka and Kerala. There are additionally birdwatching trails alongside Pulikat Lake in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
To advertise non secular tourism, the federal government additionally introduced plans to develop Buddhist websites within the northeast.
“The northeastern area is a civilizational mix of Theravada Buddhism and 18 Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhist traditions. I suggest to launch a Buddhist circuit improvement plan in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura. This plan will embrace preservation of temples and monasteries, pilgrimage interpretation centres, connectivity and facilities for pilgrims,” she stated. he added.
CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Britas informed the media {that a} high-speed rail hall has been a long-standing demand of Kerala.
Opposition leaders slammed the Price range, saying its provisions didn’t embrace Kerala.
“When Kerala went forward with the challenge by itself, the Middle stopped it. In the meantime, E. Sreedharan additionally stated that the Middle was planning one thing. Now, when the Union authorities introduced seven corridors, there was no point out of Kerala’s title in it in any respect,” Brittas stated, including that the Finance Fee report launched together with the Price range was additionally disappointing.
He stated all states, together with central bank-controlled states, are demanding 41% of tax devolution.
“Now they’re speaking about coconuts. Earlier, once they fashioned the Rubber Board, they transported rubber from Kerala to different states. I do not know what their plans at the moment are,” Brittas stated.
Congress chief KC Venugopal additionally stated that Kerala has been uncared for in key areas akin to well being. He added that when different states introduced the development of high-speed rail, the state was ignored.
“This exhibits how the Middle views the state. This Price range utterly ignores Kerala. The coconut rejuvenation plan was launched through the UPA authorities. The identical applies to coir and cashew nuts. Their plans aren’t clear,” Venugopal stated, including that readability can be wanted whether or not the uncommon earth hall will result in the entry of personal gamers into the sector.
(Edited by Sague Kitty)
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