Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman holds the digital tablet, enclosed in a traditional red 'bahi-khata' style pouch, at the Parliament premises before presenting of the ‘Union Budget 2026-27’.
Credit: PTI
New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) was on Sunday allocated Rs 2.55 lakh crore, a 9.44% increase from 2025-26, in the union budget, with the second phase of border villages development programme earmarked Rs 300.02 crore, the Census operations Rs 6,000 crore and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) witnessing an increase in its share.
A major chunk of the fund allocation went to the paramilitary forces at Rs 1.16 lakh crore, up from Rs 1.09 lakh crore in the budget estimates of 2025-26. The CRPF, the largest paramilitary force, got Rs 38,517.93 crore while Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), which guards the India-China border, got Rs 11,324.08 crore. BSF got Rs 29,567.64 crore.
Intelligence Bureau's allocation rose from Rs 3,893.35 crore, which was later revised to Rs 4,159.11 crore, to Rs 6,782.43 crore this time. The allocation is for meeting the administrative expenses of the Intelligence Bureau which ensures national security by collecting and analyzing information on internal threats, terrorist activities and potential security risks.
For the second phase of Vibrant Villages Programme, Rs 300.02 crore has been earmarked. This money is for integrating the border population with the nation by creating better living conditions and adequate livelihood opportunities. This includes villages infrastructure development, road connectivity and other developmental works.
For the modernisation of forensic capabilities, Rs 1471 crore allocated. Also, Rs 14 crore has been allocated for upgrading Central Forensic Science Laboratories, which includes the establishment of a National Forensic Data Centre.
The Budget for the National Intelligence Grid, which connects databases of security and intelligence agencies to provide real-time access to crucial datasets to combat terrorism, however, have been slashed from Rs 158.23 crore to Rs 108.98 crore.