Chandigarh, Mar 5 (PTI) The budget session of the Punjab Assembly, set to commence on March 6, is likely to witness heated debates as opposition parties — Congress, BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal — will look to corner the Bhagwant Mann government over key issues including “deteriorating” law and order and “rising” state debt.
The AAP government meanwhile is likely to fulfill its poll promise of providing Rs 1,000 to every woman when Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema presents the state budget on March 8.
The session will start with the governor’s address and obituary references on March 6, as per the tentative programme.
The state budget will be presented on March 8, coinciding with International Women’s Day. Unlike the earlier practice of presenting the budget on a working day, this time it will be tabled on Sunday.
The AAP government has already hinted at fulfilling its promise of providing a monthly aid of Rs 1,000 to every woman.
Last month, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had said the poll promise would be fulfilled in the budget.
This will be the last budget to be tabled by the AAP government in Punjab, before the state goes to polls early 2027.
According to the tentative schedule of the session, a discussion on the governor’s address will be held on March 9, and discussion on the budget estimates will take place on March 10-11.
There will be non-official business on March 12, while legislative business will be conducted on March 16 after which the House will be adjourned sine-die, as per the schedule.
During the session, opposition parties will look to take on the treasury benches on various issues including alleged collapse of law and order in the state, “unfulfilled” poll promises, and “ballooning” debt.
Congress MLA Sukhwinder Singh Kotli slammed the Mann government, accusing it of failing to “perform” on every front.
As the government has claimed it will fulfill the promise of Rs 1,000 to women, it should also clear the backlog payment of Rs 48,000 to every woman which has accrued over the past four years, as the AAP had promised to provide the financial assistance after assuming the office in 2022, Kotli said.
The Congress MLA also demanded the state government should release a white paper on the funds disbursed for the healthcare sector as it brags about inaugurating a ‘sehat kranti’ (health revolution).
The AAP had promised to build 16 new medical colleges in the state but not one has come up yet, he said.
It had also promised to make Punjab a debt-free state, but due to its rampant borrowing, the AAP government will leave Punjab in a massive debt of more than Rs 5 lakh crore, Kotli claimed.
A few days ago, Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring had alleged that while the state does not have enough money even to pay the interest on pending loans, the government has been announcing new schemes, clearly aimed garnering support ahead of the 2027 assembly polls, without any means to finance them. PTI CHS ARB ARB
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.