Chandigarh, March 26: Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema presented a \u20b92.36 lakh crore budget for FY 2025-26, emphasizing the fight against drug addiction and a major boost to the healthcare sector.<\/p>\n
With a budgetary allocation of \u20b95,598 crore for health, marking a 10% increase over the previous year, the Punjab government aims to enhance healthcare access and affordability. Importantly, no fresh taxes have been imposed, ensuring no additional burden on citizens.<\/p>\n
However, the budget remained silent on one of AAP’s key election promises\u2014providing \u20b91,000 per month to women.<\/p>\n
While presenting the budget, Cheema highlighted drug addiction as the most significant challenge to Punjab\u2019s progress. To combat this crisis, the government has planned Punjab\u2019s first-ever “Drug Census” in the upcoming fiscal year.<\/p>\n
This household-level survey will collect data on:<\/p>\n
Drug usage patterns across Punjab<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Effectiveness of de-addiction centers<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Socio-economic factors linked to substance abuse<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
“We have to fight this war not just with force and weapons, but scientifically through data and analysis,” Cheema said. The collected data will be used to frame a comprehensive strategy for drug eradication.<\/p>\n
In a landmark move, the Punjab government has announced universal coverage of its health insurance scheme for all 65 lakh families in the state, eliminating discrimination based on income, location, or social category.<\/p>\n
Every family will now be covered under a \u20b910 lakh per annum health insurance policy.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Families already enrolled in central government schemes will receive an additional top-up cover of \u20b95 lakh from the Punjab government.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Those under Mukh Mantri Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana will receive “Sehat Cards”, allowing cashless treatment at government and private hospitals.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
This initiative marks the first time in Punjab\u2019s history that a state government has extended health coverage to all residents, ensuring affordable and accessible healthcare.<\/p>\n
To enhance security along Punjab\u2019s border regions, 5,000 home guards will be deployed alongside the Border Security Force (BSF).<\/p>\n
“This is the first time such a measure is being taken to strengthen border security at the state level,” Cheema stated. The move aims to prevent illegal cross-border activities, including drug smuggling and infiltration.<\/p>\n
Punjab\u2019s agriculture sector received \u20b99,992 crore in subsidies to support farmers, particularly in power supply for irrigation.<\/p>\n
To promote crop diversification, a new scheme for Kharif maize cultivation has been introduced in three districts\u2014Bathinda, Kapurthala, and Gurdaspur.<\/p>\n
Additionally, to tackle stubble burning, which has become a national environmental issue, the Punjab government reaffirmed its commitment to finding sustainable solutions.<\/p>\n
“We are actively working on measures to curb stubble burning and ensure environmental sustainability,” Cheema said.<\/p>\n
A new initiative, \u2018Rangla Punjab Vikas Scheme\u2019, has been launched to fund grassroots-level development projects in Punjab\u2019s districts.<\/p>\n
The scheme will allocate funds for essential infrastructure projects at the local level.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Deputy Commissioners will oversee fund distribution based on recommendations from MLAs, community organizations, and local citizen groups.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
“The aim is to empower local communities and address their most pressing development needs,” Cheema noted.<\/p>\n
Punjab\u2019s economy is on a steady growth path, with a 9% growth rate recorded in the current year, according to estimates from the Directorate of Economics and Statistics.<\/p>\n
The budget projects:<\/p>\n
Effective revenue deficit at 2.51%<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Fiscal deficit at 3.84%<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
This growth momentum reinforces Punjab\u2019s commitment to economic revival and development-driven governance.<\/p>\n
In a move to enhance public service accessibility, the cost of doorstep delivery of government services has been slashed from \u20b9120 to \u20b950.<\/p>\n
This initiative aims to make essential government services more affordable and efficient for citizens, reducing bureaucratic hurdles and service delays.<\/p>\n
While unveiling the budget, Cheema took a sharp dig at previous governments, accusing them of plundering the state and failing to tackle Punjab\u2019s drug menace.<\/p>\n
“The only legacy these parties left in Punjab was \u2018Udta Punjab\u2019,” he said, referring to the drug crisis that has gripped the state for decades.<\/p>\n
“We are determined to transform Punjab into \u2018Rangla Punjab\u2019\u2014a progressive, inclusive, and opportunity-driven state,” he added, emphasizing AAP\u2019s commitment to change.<\/p>\n
The budget\u2019s theme\u2014\u2018Badalda Punjab\u2019 (Changing Punjab)\u2014reflects the government\u2019s vision for transformation across multiple sectors in FY 2025-26.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u20b92.36 Lakh Crore Budget Unveiled with No Fresh Taxes Chandigarh, March 26: Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema presented a \u20b92.36 lakh crore budget for FY 2025-26, emphasizing the fight against drug addiction and a major boost to the healthcare sector. With a budgetary allocation of \u20b95,598 crore for health, marking a 10% increase over […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1362,1],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[1331],"class_list":{"0":"post-5886","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-finance-and-economy-news","8":"category-political-news"}," _eael_post_view_count":0,"authors":[{"term_id":1331,"user_id":4,"is_guest":0,"slug":"sourabh","display_name":"Sourabh Sharma","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/trending.niftytrader.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Sourabh-Sharma.png","url2x":"https:\/\/trending.niftytrader.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Sourabh-Sharma.png"},"0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5886"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5886\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5888,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5886\/revisions\/5888"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5886"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=5886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}