Budget silence on border city Amritsar draws residents’ ire

What’s the issue

Despite Amritsar being a border city, it found no specific allotment in the 2026–27 Union Budget. We invited readers to opine on the significance of this omission, and what it means for the area’s development priorities.

A poignant lacuna for border city

Amritsar, the sentinel city astride India’s sovereign frontier, stands bereft of bespoke benefaction in the 2026-27 Union Budget, a poignant lacuna amid Punjab’s fervent pre-Budget entreaties for border fortification and economic succour. This omission, echoing the Border Area Development Programme’s zero allocation — down from Rs 98 crore last year — signals a lamentable disregard for strategic border resilience, narcotics interdiction, and post-flood rehabilitation.

Amardeep Singh Bains

A worrying omission

The absence of any specific allotment for Amritsar in the Union Budget is a significant and worrying omission. As a major border city with strategic, economic and cultural importance, Amritsar faces unique challenges related to security, trade disruptions, infrastructure stress and limited industrial expansion. Despite these realities, no special package or targeted financial support has been announced for the city. This reflects a missed opportunity to strengthen border-area development through improved connectivity, logistics hubs, MSME support, tourism infrastructure and employment generation. Amritsar has the potential to emerge as a major trade, tourism, heritage and service centre for North India, but this requires focused policy attention and fiscal backing. The lack of budgetary recognition suggests that the development priorities of border cities like Amritsar are not receiving due importance. A dedicated economic and infrastructure package is essential to address regional imbalances and ensure inclusive growth in sensitive border regions.

Sameer Jain

Export industry’s plight alarming

Budgetary provisions are much required for security and business in the border city, as Amritsar is grappling with drugs and arms supply from across the border. The export industry here is hit with the wars and tariffs, and, locally, we have no beneficial policy to boost business within India.

Rishi Sharma

Signals lower Central priority

The omission of specific allocations for Amritsar in India’s 2026-27 Union Budget is notably significant, given its status as a strategically vital border city near Pakistan, facing ongoing threats like drone smuggling. Critics, including Punjab leaders, decry this as a snub to the state’s high debt burden and security needs, with no funds for the Border Area Development Programme (previously Rs 98 crore) or the requested Rs 1,000 crore for police modernisation. This signals lower Central priority for Punjab’s border infrastructure, potentially exacerbating vulnerabilities amid regional tensions. For Amritsar’s development, it implies reliance on general state devolution and broad schemes like city economic regions or temple town initiatives, which might indirectly benefit tourism. However, without targeted funds, priorities like enhanced connectivity, economic packages, and flood recovery could stall, forcing dependence on state resources and hindering balanced regional growth.

Sunny Kapoor

‘Snub’ risks slowing planned upgrades

Despite being a strategically sensitive border city and a major religious and tourism hub, Amritsar’s absence from any specific allocation in the 2026–27 Union Budget is a notable omission. The city faces unique challenges: border security pressures, limited industrial expansion, infrastructure strain due to tourism, and youth unemployment that require targeted Central support. Lack of earmarked funds risks slowing planned upgrades in connectivity, urban infrastructure, and heritage conservation — all crucial for sustained economic growth. While national schemes may indirectly benefit Amritsar, the absence of a focused commitment suggests that border cities continue to be treated as peripheral rather than priority growth centres. For meaningful development, Amritsar needs dedicated investments in logistics, cross-border trade facilitation (when viable), tourism infrastructure, and skill development. Ignoring these priorities may deepen regional imbalances and underutilise the city’s economic and strategic potential.

Amit Kapur

Budget may be indirectly beneficial

For a city as strategically and culturally significant as Amritsar, the absence of a specific ‘headline’ allocation in the 2025–26 Union Budget has indeed left many residents, including traders and local leaders, feeling overlooked. While the national Budget focused heavily on broad infrastructure and fiscal discipline, Amritsar’s unique needs as a border district and a global spiritual hub didn’t get the “special status” many were hoping for. The disappointment stems from several key areas where the city felt it deserved direct intervention. There was no specific economic package for border districts to compensate for the industrial stagnation caused by the proximity to the international border. Additionally, hopes for a roadmap to resume direct trade through the Attari-Wagah border remained unaddressed. Also, while the Budget announced new high-speed rail corridors, none were specifically directed to integrate Amritsar more deeply into the new logistics framework. Despite being a primary agricultural hub, there was no specific Central fund for crop diversification to help local farmers move away from the water-intensive wheat-paddy cycle. However, the Budget wasn’t a total ‘zero’ for the city, though the benefits are more indirect. Its proposal to develop ‘city economic regions’ and ‘temple towns’ could eventually benefit Amritsar given its status as the home of the Golden Temple, though this depends on how the Ministry of Tourism allocates those funds later. The Rs 10,000 crore SME Growth Fund could offer a boost to the city’s famous textile and light engineering sectors, provided the local industry can navigate the compliance requirements. Interestingly, the Punjab State Budget — presented shortly after — tried to fill some of these gaps by allocating Rs 300 crore for municipal improvements specifically in Amritsar and Ludhiana, and Rs 110 crore for anti-drone systems to secure border areas. The general consensus in Amritsar is that the Union Budget treated the city as “just another urban centre”.

Mukesh Nanda

Politics over national interest

The whole of Punjab, especially the border district of Amritsar, seems in no priority list of the Central Government. It is a matter of regret that political interests have taken priority over national interests. Amritsar suffered huge economic and industrial losses when late Prime Minister Vajpayee extended tax rebates to the neighbouring states of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu-Kashmir. The district also suffered a big blow when the Attari-Wagah border was sealed after the Pulwama incident, and then the unfortunate incident in Pahalgam. Along with these incidents, Operation Sindoor’s aftereffects are still affecting the hospitality sector of Amritsar.

Kulwant Singh Ankhi

Historic city faces aging infra

Given its status as a strategically vital border city, Amritsar’s absence from specific allocations in the 2026–27 Union Budget is a serious omission. The city faces unique challenges, including cross-border drug supply and smuggling, which demand stronger border reinforcement, modern infrastructure, and advanced digital surveillance systems. As an old and historic city, Amritsar also struggles with aging civic infrastructure, congestion, and the burden of preserving heritage while supporting tourism and livelihoods. Ignoring these realities risks slowing economic growth, worsening social problems, and undermining border security. The omission reflects a reliance on generic schemes rather than place-specific planning for cities with exceptional needs. For Amritsar, this may delay upgrades in security, urban renewal, transport, and employment generation. Given its strategic location, cultural significance, and security concerns, Amritsar deserves special status or a dedicated budgetary package in the Union Budget to ensure balanced development and national interest.

Astha

Special funds for city needed

Amritsar’s proximity to the international border needs special attention. During Operation Sindoor, the city had to face difficult times. Thank God, the operation ended as quickly as it did: public paranoia during the time was real. Drug-smuggling drones have further complicated the situation. However stringent actions through Mission ‘Baaz Akh’ the state government may take, the outcome needs manpower to keep vigil, and financial resources to continue projects. Here, financial support from the Central Government is key. The reality of no specific allotment for Amritsar is saddening. Keeping Amritsar’s geographical status in view, special funds should have been allocated — not only to keep geo-political insecurity at bay, but also as appreciation for Amritsar as a tourist-hub.

Madhu Sharma