Punjab Budget 2019-2020: Silent Features of today’s Budget
Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal presented the budgetary proposals for 2019-2020 in Punjab Vidhan Sabha today. He presented the state budget with a total outlay of Rs 1,58,493 crore with no new taxes.
Also Read: Punjab Budget 2019-2020: Manpreet Singh Badal presents budget; Highlights
Manpreet Singh Badal presented a budget of Rs 90,197 crore. After taking into account the ways and means advances, the budget size of Punjab is Rs 1,58,493 crore. The state’s debt burden will rise from Rs 2,12,276 crore to Rs 2,29,612 crore. The state will have a revenue deficit of Rs 11,687 crore in 2019-20 and a fiscal deficit of Rs 19,658 crore. The unfunded gap in the budget will be reduced from Rs 4,175 crore in the current fiscal to Rs 2,323 crore in 2019-20.
Silent features of today’s budget:
- Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal announced in his Budgetary proposals today saying that cut in prices of petrol and diesel were in consonance with neighbouring States. Price of petrol will be reduced by Rs 5 a litre and diesel by Re 1 a litre from midnight tonight.
- All revenue courts to be digitized.
- 13 new bus stands to be set up and 100 new ordinary buses.
- Free power to SC/BC consumers to cost Rs 1,916 crore.
- Rs 4.38 crore announced for cleaning of Budha Nullah in Ludhiana
- Rs 296 crore proposed for development of Ludhiana, Amritsar and Jalandhar as smart cities
- Rs 200 crore proposed for providing canal-based water to Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Patiala
- Medical colleges to come up at Sangrur, Gurdaspur and Pathankot.
- 15 new ITIs to come up in the state.
- Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan to be subsumed in Samagraha Shiksha Abhiyan
- The new scheme- announced to provide housing to poor and allocated Rs 20 crore.
- Smart village campaign to be announced and announced 2600 crore.
- Residential school for special children at Ludhiana at Rs 15 crore.
- Also Read: Punjab Budget 2019-2020 Live: Rs 8969 crore for free power to the agriculture sector
- Old-age homes to be set up in Barnala and Mansa, announced Rs 31.14 crore.
- Rs 100 crore for Ashirwad Scheme; Rs 21,000 for SC, BC, widows, divorcees and daughters of widows, to be given for their marriage.
- Rs 938.71 crore allocated for SC scholarship schemes.
- Rs 5 crore for support to Jallianwala Bagh on its 100th anniversary
- Rs 25 crore announced for Dera Baba Nanak authority, which would be set up
- Ten industrial units in Mandi Gobindgarh, which had remained shut for five years, have been revived
- Rs 8,969 crore announced for free power subsidy to farmers.
- Rs 1,513 crore announced for free power subsidy to industry
- Amritsar to be developed as an iconic city; Rs 10 crore announced for this
- New scheme Make in Punjab to promote goods manufactured and produced in Punjab. As per this policy, purchase preference to be given to local suppliers of up to 50 per cent of the total quantity
- Iconic sports complex announced for Jalandhar
- Rs 90 crore allocated for Mera Kamm, Mera Maan to help in skilling and wage employment.
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- Rs 375 crore proposed for distribution of machinery for crop residue management to solve the problem of paddy straw burning
- For farm debt waiver, Manpreet Singh Badal proposed an allocation of Rs 3,000 crore for the year 2019-20.
- Manpreet Singh Badal proposed an allocation in agriculture and allied activities hiked to Rs 13,643 crore--an increase of Rs 159 crore
