Budget signals long-term push for border states: Arunachal deputy CM

Arunachal deputy CM Chowna Mein on February 4 welcomed the Union Budget, calling it “robust and forward-looking” and saying it reflects national priorities with particular attention to aspirational and frontier regions such as Arunachal Pradesh.

Addressing a press conference at the Assembly premises, the deputy chief minister congratulated Nirmala Sitharaman for presenting the Budget and said it reinforces the Centre’s commitment to inclusive growth, infrastructure expansion and social empowerment. He noted that the document places emphasis on balanced and sustainable development across the country.

Highlighting the scale of public investment, Mein pointed to a “Rs 12.2 lakh-crore infrastructure push” alongside targeted allocations for carbon capture, biopharma and reforms aimed at improving MSME liquidity. The focus on semiconductors, logistics and clean industries, he said, underlines “a strategy of long-term capacity building rather than short-term optics”.

For Arunachal Pradesh, Mein said the continued thrust on strategic infrastructure, border connectivity, hydropower development and North East–specific schemes is expected to accelerate growth and improve regional integration. He also welcomed the announcement of special Buddhist tourist circuits across Arunachal Pradesh and other Northeastern states, describing it as a move that would strengthen cultural tourism and generate new livelihood opportunities.

The deputy chief minister added that enhanced investments in roads, energy, livelihoods and human capital would raise living standards while reinforcing the state’s importance to national security and economic progress. “This Budget strongly aligns our state’s aspirations with the national vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047,” he said.