- Hindi News
- Local
- Punjab
- Bhagwant Mann Punjab Assembly Budget LIVE Update; Harpal Singh Cheema | Punjab Budget 2023
Chandigarh12 hours ago
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, presented its first full budget in the assembly on Friday. Neither any new tax was imposed nor any kind of exemption was given in this.
State Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema presented a total budget of Rs 1 lakh 96 thousand 462 crore for Punjab for the financial year 2023-24, which was 26% more than last year. The total budget of Punjab in 2022-23 was one lakh 55 thousand 860 crore rupees. The maximum focus of the government was on education and health sector. For the first time, it was announced to appoint estate managers in schools who would look after the routine work there. The Finance Minister said that after being appointed as Estate Manager, the teachers will focus only on teaching, which will improve the level of education.
In the budget, for the first time Rs 40 crore was claimed for the border belt of Punjab. The Finance Minister announced the opening of 147 new Mohalla clinics and new medical colleges in Hoshiarpur-Kapurthala along with 5 new schemes for the industry. He also talked about giving 2.5 lakh jobs.
In this first full budget of the AAP government, there was no mention of Kejriwal’s guarantee of giving one thousand rupees every month to every woman above 18 years of age in the state. Arvind Kejriwal had given this guarantee before the Punjab assembly elections in the year 2022. Nothing was said in the budget on the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) which has been implemented for the employees. However, the Finance Minister claimed that his government has fulfilled many of its promises and guarantees.
Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema presenting the budget in the Punjab Assembly on Friday.
Uproar of Congress MLAs, Speaker reprimanded
Congress MLAs started ruckus during the budget itself. On this, Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, explaining to the opposition members, said that it is not right to interrupt Finance Minister Cheema. They should be allowed to read the budget in full. Note down the points on which the Congress MLAs have objections. Congress MLAs will be given full time to speak during the discussion on the budget. This kind of behavior just to be in news and to mark your attendance is not right.
Despite the Speaker’s persuasion, when the uproar by the Congress MLAs continued, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema addressed them and asked them to have the guts to listen. On this, the Speaker said that by addressing only the Chair in the House, complete your budget.
Cheema said – Inherited huge debt
Cheema said that when his government took over, it inherited huge debts that had been taken by the previous governments. Despite this, his government is determined to take Punjab forward. The government repaid Rs 15,945 crore as principal amount and Rs 20,100 crore as interest on loans taken by previous governments in the current financial year.
The Finance Minister claimed to take care of every section in the budget.
Read… What is special in the budget of Punjab…
- 17 new sand mining sites will start soon in the state.
- Roads will be repaired in the state for Rs 1992 crore. Cheema claimed that these roads were not repaired for the last 6 years.
- Two new galleries will be built at the War Memorial in Amritsar. A proposal of Rs 15 crore for this in the budget.
- 11 new colleges will be built in the state. Rs 36 crore has already been released for them in the current financial year. 68 crores for building libraries in existing government colleges.
- Announcement to open new medical colleges in Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur. Rs 17,072 crore proposed for school and higher education. This is 12% more than last year.
- Special scheme for 11th class children. If a child of this class gives a good idea, he will be given an incentive of Rs 2000.
- 100 crores for roof top solar system in schools.
- Proposal for allocation of ₹ 1,015 crore in the next financial year for medical education.
- A provision of Rs 258 crore has been made to promote sports in Punjab so that interest in sports increases among the youth.
- Markfed will set up two new oil mills at Budhlada in Mansa district and Giddarbaha in Muktsar district for processing mustard crop in the next financial year.
- Rs 350 crore has been kept for stubble management in the state. 30% less stubble burning due to positive efforts of AAP Govt.
- Rs 75 crore given for sugar complex in Batala and Gurdaspur. Rs 100 crore allotted for completion of old works. Here work will be done on efficient processing and value addition of sugarcane.
- 615 crore proposed for the improvement of institutions related to technical education. This is 6% more than last year
- Amritsar’s Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) prepared a new variety of apple from tissue culture. Apple orchards like Himachal will be seen in Punjab during two years.
- The GSDP of Punjab in 2022-23 is Rs 6 lakh 38 thousand 23 crore. This is 9.24% more than 2021-22. GSDP estimated to be Rs 6 lakh 98 thousand 635 crore in the financial year 2023-24. In this, the contribution of service sector is 45.91%, contribution of agriculture sector is 28.94% and industry is 25.15%.
- Rs 11,782 crore announced for capital expenditure for the financial year 2023-24. This is 22% more than last year’s budget.
- Budget estimate of one lakh 96 thousand 462 crore for the financial year 2023-24. This is 26% more than last year.
- Focus on increasing the income of farmers and laborers by promoting agriculture and its allied businesses.
- The Central Government is ignoring the long standing demand of Punjab to release Rs 9035 crore.
- The central government did not release Rs 2880 crore of Rural Development Fund to Punjab as part of a well-planned conspiracy.
- The AAP government gave 26 thousand 797 jobs to the youth of Punjab in one year.
- The Bhagwant Mann government is trying to cancel the loans taken by the previous governments.
2574 farmer friends will be recruited in the state
- 2574 Kisan Mitras will be recruited in Punjab. These farmer friends will go door-to-door to the farmers at the village level and provide them the necessary help related to agriculture.
- The Punjab government constituted a committee of experts to frame an agriculture policy. The government will do ‘Kisan-Milni’ program in the coming days.
- Panseed procured one lakh quintals of quality seeds worth Rs 38 crore through track and trace system. Provided subsidy of Rs 10 crore on seeds to 50 thousand farmers.
- While promoting diversification in agriculture, a fund is being created for the purchase of Basmati paddy. Farmers will be given 33% subsidy on cotton seeds. A budget reserve of one thousand crore rupees for this in the year 2023-24.
- Under the campaign to save water, the government will continue to provide necessary help. In the current financial year, financial assistance of Rs 25 crore was released to 30312 farmers for direct sowing of paddy at the rate of Rs 1500 per acre. While procuring moong on MSP for the first time, Rs 79 crore was transferred to 20 thousand 898 farmers in their bank accounts. Next year, a provision of Rs 125 crore has been made to help farmers doing direct sowing of paddy and for the purchase of moong.
- Notified pilots to replace 20% coal with paddy straw in 2500 brick-kilns of Punjab. This will come into effect from 1 May 2023. A reserve of Rs 350 crore was kept for stubble management, mechanization etc.
- In the year 2022-23, farmers were given free electricity worth Rs 9064 crore. Continuing this for the next financial year, a reserve of Rs 90,331 crore has been kept for subsidy.
- The government will bring crop insurance scheme for the farmers. Its draft is being prepared.
- Provision of Rs 253 crore for horticulture which is double as compared to the year 2022-23.
- Five new horticulture institutes will be established at Ludhiana, Gurdaspur, Patiala, Bathinda and Faridkot. 40 crore provision for this. These institutes will work to increase the area under naturally grown fruits and vegetables.
- ‘Bhavantar Scheme’ will be implemented to reduce the risk of gardeners. If the rate of anything in the market falls beyond one level, then the government will compensate the loss caused to the gardeners. An initial budget of Rs 15 crore for this.
- Provided Rs 885 crore to repay the liability of Punjab Agricultural Development Bank.
- Stopped payment of pensioners since 2013.
- Announcement of rate of Rs.380 per quintal to sugarcane growers to give them the right price for their crop. This rate is more than Haryana-UP.
- Rs 400 crore assistance to Sugarfed to clear dues of farmers. After talking to the Centre, the sugar quota of the mills was increased.
- Markfed will open new godowns at 13 places. An arrangement of Rs 80 crore has been made for this. The work of 6 godowns is expected to be completed by March 2023. 100 crores kept for the remaining 7 godowns in the next financial year.
- Markfed will set up a plant for processing crude oil at Khanna in Ludhiana district. There will be 110 tonnes of refinery and processing of 110 tonnes of vegetable oils daily. This plant will be ready in the next one year.
- Completed vaccination of animals to protect them from lumpy disease.
CM Mann’s tweet before the budget
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann made a tweet before the budget was presented in the assembly. Describing today as historic, he wrote that on this day in the year 2022, AAP had received the fatwa of the people of Punjab in the form of election results. Today our government is going to present its first full budget. He is hopeful that this budget will be of public interest and a glimpse of Punjab moving towards ‘Rangla Punjab’ will be seen in it.