Punjab's Rs 2.6 Lakh Crore Budget Unveils Cash for Women, Major Sectoral Push

Tabled on International Women's Day, the Budget unveiled the 'Mukh Mantri Mawan Dhian Satikar Yojna', a universal cash transfer scheme under which women will receive Rs 1,000 per month and Dalit women Rs 1,500, while outlining major allocations across education, healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure and social welfare, which the government described as fulfilling the all key electoral guarantees of Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann.

Presenting the Budget, the state Finance Minister said, "The effective revenue deficit is projected at 2.06 per cent of GSDP and the fiscal deficit at 4.08 per cent."

He described the document as the 'Saari Guarantiyan Puri Karan Wala Budget', emphasising that the government has worked to fulfil all the guarantees made to the people.

The Budget introduced the 'Mukh Mantri Mawan Dhian Satikar Yojna', which the Finance Minister described as the first universal cash transfer initiative for women.

Explaining the scheme, minister Cheema said, "Under this initiative, the government will transfer Rs 1,000 per month directly to the accounts of all eligible adult women and Rs 1,500 per month to adult women belonging to the Scheduled Caste community."

He said a budgetary outlay of Rs 9,300 crore has been earmarked to ensure that nearly 97 per cent of adult women in Punjab are covered, including women already receiving social security pensions.

The Finance Minister further said the government has allocated Rs 600 crore to continue the free bus travel facility for women, Rs 932 crore for the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) covering more than 27,000 Anganwadi Centres, and Rs 65 crore for the Navi Disha Scheme to provide free sanitary pads to needy women and adolescent girls.

Speaking about the education sector, Minister Cheema shared the government has proposed an outlay of Rs 19,279 crore, representing a seven per cent increase over the previous year.

Turning to higher education, the Finance Minister said Rs 1,760 crore has been allocated as grant-in-aid to state universities, while Rs 569 crore has been earmarked for technical education, including the establishment of ITIs in 11 jails to provide vocational training to inmates.

The government has granted in-principle approval for establishing a world-class university in Anandpur Sahib in the name of Guru Tegh Bahadur.

Turning to healthcare, he said the government has proposed an allocation of Rs 6,879 crore for the sector. Addressing the agrarian sector, minister Cheema said Rs 15,377 crore has been allocated for agriculture and allied sectors.

He explained that the allocation includes Rs 7,715 crore for free power to farmers, a 33 per cent subsidy on Bt cotton seeds, incentives for direct seeded rice (DSR) and kharif maize, and Rs 600 crore for machinery to manage crop residue burning.

He also announced a Rs 1,300-crore project supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) aimed at expanding horticulture acreage by 300 per cent by 2035. He added dairy farmers will be supported with a Rs 100 crore provision for fair milk procurement prices, while sugarcane farmers will benefit from a Rs 270 crore allocation following the increase in the state agreed price to Rs 416 per quintal.

- IANS