Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal on Monday presented tax-free budget for the year 2021-22 with a total outlay of ₹1,68,015 crore.
The outstanding debt of the State in 2021-22 is likely to be ₹2,73,703 crore.
The government proposed to waive off the loans to the extent of ₹1,186 crore of 1.13 lakh farmers and ₹526 crore of landless farm workers in the next phase during 2021-22, for which an allocation of ₹1,712 crore has been made. The proposals also include free transport facility in the government-run buses for school, college students and all female passengers for which an allocation of ₹170 crore has been provided.
Mr. Badal, presenting the budget in the ongoing Assembly session, said the report of the 6th Punjab Pay Commission shall be submitted soon.
“Anticipating the same, I have made the necessary provisions in my budgetary estimates...it takes time for any government to examine and assess any recommendations but I am proactively laying the timelines for my government to act on the recommendations of the Commission. I announce to implement those recommendations of the commission accepted by the government from 1.7.2021.,” he said.
Free electricity
Mr. Badal said the government would continue to provide free power to farmers for which an amount of ₹7,180 crore has been provisioned. He added that an outlay of ₹11,861 crore has been earmarked for school education. He also proposed to raise the old age pension from ₹750 to ₹1,500 a month.
Previous govt. flayed
Hitting out at the previous Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janta Party government, Mr. Badal said “I was astonished by the extent to which the preceding government had bankrupted our State and essentially mortgaged our people’s future...I haven’t the slightest hesitation in making the assertion, that the actions of the previous Akali-BJP regime, were for all practical purposes an attempt to reduce this State to a form of slavehood.”
