Budget 2026-27: I&B ministry settles at ₹4,552 cr after last year’s spending surge

The Union Budget for 2026-2027 has pegged the total allocation for the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) at ₹4,551.94 crore. The latest fiscal roadmap reflects a strategic focus on revenue-heavy operational spending while significantly rationalizing the total outlay from the previous year’s mid-year spending surge.

The Fiscal Blueprint

The ministry’s allocation is largely directed toward maintaining existing broadcasting and information infrastructure.

Revenue Expenditure: ₹4,494.56 crore, representing the bulk of the ministry's financial commitment

Capital Expenditure: ₹57.38 crore, allocated for the creation and modernization of physical assets.

While the capital outlay remains a small fraction of the total, it marks an increase from the initial ₹43.79 crore budgeted at the start of the 2025-26 fiscal year, signaling a consistent, albeit cautious, push toward infrastructure upgrades.

Year-on-Year Trend: Recovery and Realignment

The 2026-27 allocation of ₹4,551.94 crore represents a 4.4% increase over the initial 2025-26 Budget Estimate (BE) of ₹4,358.38 crore. However, a broader analysis reveals a significant "cooling off" from the Revised Estimate (RE) of ₹6,103.02 crore for 2025-26.

The ₹1,551.08 crore reduction from the previous year’s revised figures suggests that the government has moved to normalize spending after a high-intensity year for public broadcasting and information dissemination.

The budget provides specific support for the ministry's core administrative and policy-making functions.

Sectoral Breakdown: The Secretariat's budget includes ₹123.38 crore in revenue and ₹18.03 crore in capital outlay, maintaining a steady pace compared to the previous year's revised Secretariat budget of ₹138.77 crore.

The Wider Context

The I&B Ministry’s budget is part of a total central government expenditure of ₹53.47 lakh crore for the 2026-27 period. In a landscape where fiscal consolidation is a priority, the ministry's budget reflects a "status quo plus" approach—ensuring that baseline operations are funded above previous initial estimates while avoiding the aggressive mid-year expansions seen in the preceding cycle.

Industry experts view the emphasis on revenue expenditure as a clear signal that the ministry’s primary objective for the coming year will be the effective management and operation of its vast media and broadcasting networks.