New Delhi | The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has approved a ₹14,962 crore budget for the financial year 2026–27, registering a revenue surplus of ₹2,112 crore till February 18, marking the third consecutive year of surplus performance. The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, where the authority also cleared several major urban policy proposals aimed at strengthening infrastructure delivery and financial sustainability.
A key highlight of the approval is the urbanisation of 48 villages currently categorised as rural. Delhi has 357 villages, of which 309 have already been urbanised, while the remaining 48—identified by the Delhi government’s land and building department—are located near urbanised zones but continue to be governed under agricultural land-use norms under the Delhi Land Reforms Act. Officials noted that development works in these villages have been delayed due to procedural requirements involving land-use change and approvals from the revenue department. DDA will now request the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to declare these villages urban under Section 507 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957. Once notified, the villages will become eligible for planning instruments such as land pooling, green area development, regeneration of planned and unplanned areas, and transit-oriented development, potentially accelerating infrastructure integration in Delhi’s peri-urban belt.
In an effort to augment non-tax revenue, DDA has also approved a detailed advertisement policy for its vast land parcels and properties. The framework will function in alignment with the Delhi Outdoor Advertising Policy, 2017, under which regulation of advertisements in public view falls within the jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. Officials indicated that a revenue-sharing model—similar to that followed by metro and railway agencies—will be adopted after signing a memorandum of understanding with MCD. However, advertisements displayed within DDA parks and complexes will not require revenue sharing. The move reflects a broader institutional shift toward asset monetisation to sustain capital expenditure.
The authority further approved the allotment of vacant land for Atal Canteens, which will be leased to the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board at a token rate of Re 1 per year for up to nine years. Additionally, built-up Gram Sabha properties in urbanised villages will be allotted to departments and civic bodies on a licence basis under an “as is where is” arrangement in alignment with the Dilli Gramodaya Abhiyan initiative.
Providing a boost to the education ecosystem in Narela sub-city, DDA has approved relaxation in premium and interest on delayed payments for land allotted to seven government universities. The proposal will now be sent to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for approval. The decision is expected to strengthen Narela’s positioning as an emerging institutional hub within Delhi’s planned sub-city framework.
With a sustained revenue surplus and policy-backed expansion measures, the 2026–27 budget positions DDA to accelerate urban transformation while integrating peri-urban settlements into Delhi’s formal planning and governance structure.
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