Punjab presents ₹2.60 lakh crore budget; ₹1,000 monthly aid for women announced, LIVE WATCH
Chandigarh (The Uttam Hindu): Finance Minister Harpal Cheema presented a budget of ₹260,437 crore for the fiscal year 2025-26 in the Punjab Assembly. Presenting the budget, he said the state government aims to advance the vision of a "changing Punjab" under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. The budget places special emphasis on sectors such as health, education, rural development, industry, agriculture, sports, and social welfare.
Women will receive ₹1,000 per month.
The budget made a significant announcement for women. The government announced that women in the state will receive ₹1,000 per month as financial assistance, while women from Scheduled Castes will receive ₹1,500 per month. This amount will be transferred directly to the beneficiaries' bank accounts under the "Chief Minister Mothers and Daughters Felicitation Scheme."
The Finance Minister stated that Punjab's economy is growing at a strong pace. The state's economic growth rate in the current year has been approximately 9 percent, while the state's Gross Domestic Product (GSDP) has reached approximately ₹809,538 crore. Growth is projected to reach approximately 10 percent in the next fiscal year.
>> Punjab presents budget of 2.60 lakh crore, women will get 1000 rupees every month, know what else was announced, watch VIDEO Under urban development, world-class roads will be constructed in Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar and Mohali. Around 50 kilometers of roads will be built in the first phase. A provision of 225 crore rupees has been made for improving urban infrastructure services and 347 e-buses will also be purchased.
>> The government has decided to further strengthen the ongoing "Yuddh Nashe De Viruddh" campaign in the state. To enhance security in the border areas, 5,000 Home Guard jawans will be deployed, who will work as a second line of defense along with the Border Security Force. State-of-the-art anti-drone systems will be installed to prevent smuggling through drones. A provision of Rs 110 crore has been made for this. Along with this, for the first time in the state, a "Drug Census" has also been announced to be conducted, so that the spread of drugs and the socio-economic aspects related to it can be studied. A budget of Rs 150 crore has been kept for this.
>> To connect youth with sports, the "Khedda Punjab, Badalda Punjab" initiative will be launched. Under this initiative, sports grounds will be developed in villages and approximately 3,000 indoor gyms will be built. Thirteen Centers of Excellence will be equipped with modern facilities for training athletes. A budget of ₹979 crore has been allocated for the Sports Department.
>> So far, 881 Aam Aadmi Clinics have been established in the state, where people are receiving free treatment, tests, and medicines. The government has decided to expand the health insurance scheme to include 6.5 million families in Punjab. Under this scheme, each family will receive cashless treatment up to 10 lakh rupees annually. A provision of ₹778 crore has been made for this scheme, while the total budget for the health department has been set at ₹5,598 crore.
>> To strengthen the Dial 112 emergency service, 758 four-wheeled and 916 two-wheeled emergency response vehicles will be purchased. The government aims to reduce response times from 30 minutes to approximately 8 minutes. A provision of ₹125 crore has been allocated for this purpose, while ₹53 crore will be spent on building a modern Dial 112 headquarters in Mohali.
>> To develop rural areas, the "Badalde Pind, Badalda Punjab" scheme will be launched, under which infrastructure will be improved in 12,581 villages across the state. A provision of ₹3,500 crore has been allocated for this purpose. Additionally, ₹2,873 crore will be spent on the construction and upgrading of 18,944 kilometers of rural roads.
>> The government will continue its plan to provide 300 units of free electricity per month to domestic consumers, for which a budget of ₹7,614 crore has been allocated. A new industrial policy will be introduced to promote industry, with a provision of ₹250 crore.
>> A budget of ₹14,524 crore has been allocated for agriculture and allied sectors. To promote crop diversification, farmers will receive a subsidy of ₹17,500 per hectare for maize cultivation. ₹500 crore will be provided for stubble management and ₹60 crore for industries adopting straw-based boilers. ₹9,992 crore has been allocated for providing free electricity to farmers.