In a high-impact and data-backed intervention in the Rajya Sabha, MP Kartikeya Sharma mounted a strong defence of the Union Budget 2026-27, framing it as a structural roadmap toward Viksit Bharat 2047 rather than a routine financial exercise.
Opening with the lines, “Nazar ko badlo to nazare badal jaate hain, soch ko badlo to sitare badal jaate hain,” Sharma described the presentation of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s 9th Budget as a defining moment in India’s economic evolution.
From “Dead Economy” to 4th Largest
Responding sharply to opposition remarks, Sharma traced India’s economic journey. Once the world’s 6th largest economy after Independence, India slipped to 15th in the 1970s and remained stuck at 10th rank between 2004 and 2014.
“In just 12 years, India has become the world’s 4th largest economy and is on track to become the 3rd largest,” he said, asserting that this rise is the outcome of reform-driven governance, not chance.
₹12 Lakh Crore Capex: Infrastructure at Record Scale
Highlighting the 4.5-fold rise in capital expenditure since 2013-14 to a record ₹12 lakh crore, Sharma pointed out that highway construction speed has increased from 12 km per day in 2014 to 34 km per day today.
“These are not just roads. These are the economic arteries of a Viksit Bharat,” he remarked.
Make in India: Scale and Substance
Countering criticism of Make in India, Sharma cited electronics manufacturing growth from ₹1.9 lakh crore in 2014 to ₹10 lakh crore today. India is now the world’s second-largest mobile phone manufacturer.
Defence production has risen from ₹45,000 crore in 2013 to ₹1.5 lakh crore in 2025, with defence exports crossing ₹23,000 crore. India recorded $800 billion in exports in 2025, doubling from $400 billion in 2013, signalling industrial resilience and global competitiveness.
₹4 Lakh Crore for Agriculture, Dairy and Rural Economy
Calling India a civilisation rooted in agriculture, Sharma highlighted the nearly ₹4 lakh crore allocation for agriculture, dairy and rural economic strengthening. Referring to Haryana’s strong dairy ecosystem, he said, “दूध-दही का खाणा, सबसे अच्छा हरियाणा,” and noted that India today is the world’s largest milk producer, with cooperative models like Amul demonstrating people-led growth.
He pointed out that Haryana provides MSP on 24 crops, demonstrating effective Centre-State coordination. He welcomed credit-linked subsidy programmes and veterinary education expansion that will empower dairy farmers to scale globally and transform from producers to agri-entrepreneurs.
He also acknowledged ₹20,772 crore in tax devolution and associated investments strengthening Haryana’s development trajectory.
Healthcare: Affordability and Innovation
Responding to comparisons with the US healthcare model, Sharma said such parallels ignore purchasing power realities. Ayushman Bharat covers 12 crore families, making it the world’s largest government-funded health assurance programme.
He said US comparisons are misleading. The United States has the costliest healthcare system in the world, while India is among the most affordable healthcare models globally.
On a Purchasing Power Parity basis, a heart bypass costing ₹1.2–1.8 lakh in India can cost up to $150,000 in the US. Even an MRI costs ₹1,000–2,000 in India versus nearly $3,000 in the US.
India delivers scale with affordability, making it a globally competitive healthcare model.
In a significant addition, Sharma referenced his own flagship preventive healthcare initiative, the AI-enabled Namo Shakti Rath, which is conducting large-scale breast cancer screening for women. He described it as an example of indigenous, Make in India medical technology delivering early detection services at scale and taking advanced healthcare access to the grassroots.
AI, Semiconductors and Future Governance
Sharma underscored the ₹40,000 crore allocation under India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 and tax concessions for AI infrastructure until 2047. Citing Stanford University’s Global AI Vibrancy Tool 2025, he noted that India has become the world’s third most AI-competitive economy.
India is among the top three startup ecosystems globally, with over 100 unicorns, and processes more real-time digital payments through UPI than the US, China and Europe combined. He also highlighted Haryana’s establishment of a Department of Future Affairs, the only such state-level institutional innovation in India, as proof of cooperative federalism in action.
Nation Above Politics
Concluding his speech, Sharma said the Budget 2026-27 is not an annual accounting exercise but a structural roadmap toward 2047. “When villages grow and cities strengthen, India becomes self-reliant and developed,” he stated, extending full support to the Budget in the national interest.
The intervention positioned Sharma firmly as a technocrat MP linking macroeconomic policy, future technologies, dairy and agricultural strength, and grassroots healthcare innovation into one cohesive development narrative.