DEHRADUN, Feb. 3 -- Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has generously praised the Union government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for providing significant relief to the middle class by making annual incomes up to Rs 12 lakh tax-free through the Union Budget 2025-26 presented in the Parliament on Saturday. He described the budget as development-oriented and focused on public welfare. Congratulating Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for a well balanced budget, Dhami highlighted the direct and indirect benefits Uttarakhand will receive from various schemes.

Reacting to the budget, Dhami reminded that the state's share in Central taxes for this year's revised estimate is around Rs 14,387 crore, and added that the budget paves...