Strap: Government failed to provide Rs 1000 pm to women: LoP
Chandigarh, March 5 (Punjab khabarnama) : The Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Partap Singh Bajwa on Tuesday termed the third budget of the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government for the 2024-25 financial year as an absolutely failed and unconvincing budget.
Bajwa said that 23 per cent of the total receipts would go to the interest of the debt. 57.6 per cent is for the salaries and pensions. Similarly, 25.14 will go in power subsidy. The Punjab government will be left with 3 per cent to execute other tasks.
“The Punjab’s Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema once again remains unsuccessful in fulfilling even its pre-poll promises. The budget also disappointed the distressed farming sector”, Bajwa added.
Senior Congress Leader Bajwa said that even after two years into the government, the AAP did not fulfil its much-hyped promise to provide Rs 1000 per month incentive to women above the age of 18 years.
“One of the main promises of the AAP government was to minimise the debt burden on Punjab. Instead, the debt burden has been multiplied in the years regime of AAP. It took a Rs 60,000 crore loan by the end of January 2024. Besides this, in February and March, the AAP took a Rs 7000 crore loan”, Bajwa added.
The opposition leader said that the farmers are also unsatisfied with this budget. The government earmarked only Rs 575 crore for crop diversification, which is far less than expected.
“The budget has not spoken a word about providing Rs 2500 per month pension to the senior citizens. The Congress governments in Himachal Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and Rajasthan had provided Rs 2500 per month pension to the elderly people.
Bajwa said that the AAP government has surreptitiously withdrawn the 15 per cent hike given to the employees by the previous congress regime. The Finance Minister has not uttered a single word about opening 16 medical colleges.
Bajwa also slammed the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for his failure to tender an apology after his derogatory remarks against the Congress MLA from Adampur, who comes from the Dalit community, Sukhwinder Singh Kotli. CM has surely gone intoxicated with power.