Punjab budget: ₹13.89 cr for agriculture, ₹17k cr for education and more

The Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab presented its first complete state budget on Friday, which Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said would be in the interest of the public. “Last year, on this day, we got the mandate of the people of Punjab in the election results. Today our government is going to present its first full budget,” he tweeted, calling it a ‘historic day’ for Punjab.

The budget was presented by state finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema, who said education and health were the government’s focus areas. He said that so far 26,797 jobs have been created by the Mann administration and more than 10.5 lakh people have received medical help in the Aam Aadmi Clinics set up across the western state.

Here are the highlights of Punjab Budget 2023/24:

1. Harpal Seema said education and health sectors are among the priority sectors of the government.

2. Regarding the health department, the minister said that so far 10.50 lakh people have been treated in AAP clinics in the state.

3. Seema said that 26,797 jobs have been provided by the Bhagwant Mann government so far.

4. Punjab’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) will be ₹6.98 crore for FY23/24.

5. A total of ₹13,888 crore has been allocated for agriculture and allied sector, increasing by 20 per cent. The state finance minister said that the government will release the new agriculture policy soon, for which a committee of experts has been constituted.

6. For sports, Seema proposed an allocation of ₹258 crore, 55% more than the 2022-23 financial year.

7. For education, Seema proposed ₹17,072 crore for school and higher education, which is 12% more than the previous year.

(with agency inputs)