Union Budget 2026: 5 varsity towns, girls' hostel in all districts

With a promise of a girls' hostel in every district and nearly Rs 1.4 lakh crore education outlay, the Budget signals a clear shift from schemes to structures, placing women's access and campus capacity at the heart of its education push.The education ministry allocation rises 8.3% to Rs 1,39,290 crore in 2026-27, with Rs 83,561 crore earmarked for school education and literacy (up 6.4%) and Rs 55,724 crore for higher education, an 11.3% increase aimed at expanding infrastructure and research. A key higher-education initiative is creation of five university townships near major industrial and logistics corridors, designed to cluster universities, colleges and research institutions closer to emerging economic hubs.To improve enrolment and retention of women in science and engineering, govt will provide capital support to establish at least one girls' hostel in every district with higher-education STEM institutions, addressing long-standing accommodation gaps.The Budget has also proposed the setting up of a new National Institute of Design (NID) in the eastern region.It has expanded digital learning infrastructure in schools and colleges. Support has been announced for Indian Institute of Creative Technologies, Mumbai, to set up AVGC content creator labs. Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak initiative will roll out digitised textbooks in Indian languages for primary and secondary students, aimed at improving access and comprehension in regional languages.On institutional funding, allocations for IITs rise to Rs 12,123 crore and IIMs to Rs 292 crore, while other premier institutes, including IISc and IIITs, see tighter budgets.