Punjab Budget 2021 Highlights: FM Manpreet Singh Badal unveils govt's last Budget

Punjab Budget 2021 Presentation Highlights and Updates: Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal unveiled the state government's last Budget on Monday. It comes at a time when the state’s per capita social sector spending is the fourth-lowest among major states. Captain Amarinder Singh, ahead of the Punjab budget 2021 presentation, chaired a cabinet meeting. Also Read | Punjab Budget Session 2021 updates: SAD MLAs raise slogans in Punjab Vidhan Sabha; suspended Punjab Budget 2021 Presentation Highlights and Updates:

• Budget size - Rs 1,38,015 crore
• The state’s debt has increased to Rs 2,73,730 crore, with the debt to GSDP ratio of Rs 45.05 crore.
• Sixth pay commission for government employees to be implemented from July 1, 2021.

• Eight new maternal and child health wings will be set up in subdivisional hospitals at Talwandi Sabo, Nabha, Patti, Dera Bassi Muktsar, Gurdaspur, Bhawanigarh, and Raikot.
• Rs 92 crore has been allocated for up-gradation of the Government Medical College, Patiala.

• Two new medical colleges and hospitals announced.
• The colleges will be established at Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur, which involves an expenditure of Rs 650 crore.
• A unit of Tata Memorial Hospital to be completed at Mullanpur with Rs 450 crore.
• Virology centers will be established at the Government Medical College, Amritsar, and the National Institute of Virology at Mohali.
• Women will travel for free in all government buses, announced FM Manpreet Singh Badal.
• All students studying in government colleges will be allowed free travel in government-run buses.
• The Punjab government will increase the allocation under The Aashirwad scheme from Rs 21,000 to Rs 51,000.
• The old-age pension has been increased to Rs 1500.
• Rs 100 crore worth museum on Baba Sahib Ambedkar to be established in Kapurthala.
• FM Manpreet Singh Badal proposed Rs 150 crore for the Punjab Innovation fund that would invest in early-stage start-ups.
• The government's participation in the fund will be a maximum of 10 percent of the corpus.
• Punjab govt to waive farm loans worth Rs 1,186 crore of 1.13 lakh farmers and Rs 526 crore of landless farmers in 2021-22.
• Rs 7,180 crore to go as a free power subsidy for farmers.
• New scheme for monitoring water quality for arsenic-affected villages. 
• 2 technical colleges to be converted into universities.
  
• Freedom fighter pension to be increased from Rs 7,500 to Rs 9,500. 
• 15th Finance Commission presented Punjab’s case well and increased devolution by 0.23 percent. This will translate Rs 1500 crore additional devolutions in 2021. 
• Punjab Sahit Ratan award money increased from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh. Pension of Punjabi writers increased from Rs 5,000 to Rs 15,000.
• The government proposed to extend the GST incentives to October 17, 2022, to attract investment.
• New umbrella programme — 'Kamyaab Kisan Khushaal Punjab' launched. Rs 3,780 crore to be spent in the next 3 years while Rs 1,104 crore allocated for 2021-22.
• A Centre of excellence for vegetables to be established at Fazilka.
• A post-graduate institute of horticulture research to be set up in Amritsar.
• Mobile vending carts to be provided to farmers.
• Agri schemes to reduce the risk of horticulture farmers and crop diversification. To reduce the risk of horticulture farmers, 2 schemes have been announced for fixing a base price for horticulture crops and the payment of deficiency price as compensation.
•  Agricultural Marketing Innovation Research and Intelligence Centre to be set up at Mohali.
• Rs 200 crore set for crop diversification.
• Agriculture Development Bureaus to be established in each and every district.
• Special focus on horticulture as Rs 361 crore has been allocated for 2021-22.
• 250 schools to be upgraded
• Rs 100 cr for smartphones for class 12 students 
• Rs 140 crore allocated for digital education; Rs 100 crore allocated for smartphones to students of class 12; Fitness parks to be established in all government schools and playgrounds.
• Rs 100 crore announced for up-gradation of Government Colleges; Rs 1064 crore allocated for GNDU, Punjabi University, PAU, Rajiv Gandhi National Law University.
• 29 new schemes for canal systems; Rs 897 crore proposed for the same.
• Punjab Sugarcane Research Development Institute to be set up in Kalanaur; Gurdaspur and Batala sugar mills to be enhanced; while Rs 300 crore to be set aside for buying sugarcane.
• Subsidised electricity to industry. Finance Minister allocates Rs 1,928 crore for subsidised electricity. OTS policy proposed for interest-free loan defaulters (industry) provided they fulfil certain conditions.
• Rs 90 crore for debt of Punjabi University; Post Matric Scholarship scheme
• Vacancies to be filled in state government jobs, 48,989 posts in the government to be filled in the first phase, against 1 lakh vacancies.
• Seven hostels to be established for working women in Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Mohali, Mansa and Bathinda.
• The Budget for social sector expenditure increased from Rs 2,320 crore to Rs 4,000 crore.
•  Rs 1,513 crore proposed for power subsidy to domestic consumers.
• Rs 1,600 crore set aside for Smart Cities mission.
  This was highlights of Punjab Budget 2021.