Overview
- Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced ecologically sustainable turtle trails at key Olive Ridley nesting sites across Odisha, Karnataka and Kerala.
- The government proposed operationalising 20 National Waterways over five years, beginning with NW‑5 in Odisha to link Talcher, Angul and Kalinga Nagar to Paradeep and Dhamra ports.
- The Budget backs dedicated Rare Earth Corridors in Odisha, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, building on the November 2025 scheme for permanent magnets.
- A scheme will support three Chemical Parks via a challenge route with cluster‑based plug‑and‑play models, while training institutes will be upgraded into Regional Centres of Excellence for inland water transport skills.
- Wildlife groups and local leaders in Odisha said the turtle‑trail push could expedite a proposed sea‑turtle research centre near Rushikulya, as Karnataka’s environment minister welcomed the initiative citing ongoing conservation work.