Nagaland Budget for 2026-27 has introduced an SDG-linked Budget architecture and a Gender Budget Statement for the first time. (DIPR Photo)
Our Correspondent
Kohima | March 26
In a significant overhaul of the state’s fiscal architecture, the Nagaland Budget for 2026-27 has introduced an SDG-linked Budget architecture and a Gender Budget Statement for the first time, Chief Minister Dr Neiphiu Rio said on Thursday.
Presenting the state budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year during the eighth session of the 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly, Rio said the state has also adopted Outcome Budgeting from this financial year, with the Outcome Budget Statement to be published in the subsequent fiscal year.
He said the initiatives would strengthen monitoring, accountability, and outcome-based planning across departments.
The budgetary measures will adopt a whole-of-Government approach, wherein all stakeholders including departments, public agencies, and communities shall work in an integrated manner to achieve common policy objectives, the CM said.
He added that this reiterates the significance the state government is placing on aligning public expenditure with inclusive development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Dr Rio noted that gender equality has always been embedded as a foundational pillar of Naga society.
He said Nagaland ranks first in SDG-5 (Gender Equality) among Indian states and has been a pioneer in gender-responsive governance through the Village Development Board (VDB) Model Rules, 1980, which institutionalised gender-based allocations and reservations decades ahead of national mainstreaming efforts.
“The objective of this year’s Budget is to continue these efforts and align our interventions with our country’s cherished goal of a Viksit Bharat 2047,” Dr Rio said.
In a move to enable higher participation of women in workplaces and improve workforce stability, the CM announced that creches will be established in all major government establishments across the state. The initiative will commence at the Nagaland Civil Secretariat from the ensuing financial year, he added.
