Punjab Budget 2021 Highlights: FM Manpreet Singh Badal unveils govt's last Budget
Rajan Nath
March 8th 2021 11:33 AM --
Updated:
March 8th 2021 01:23 PM
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.
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Rs 1,600 crore set aside for Smart Cities mission.This was highlights of Punjab Budget 2021.