Punjab Finance Minister Condemns Union Budget as “Disappointing” for Punjab

Punjab’s Demands Fall on Deaf Ears: State’s Pre-Budget Proposals Completely Overlooked

Says, Budget Catering to BJP’s Political Interests rather than Addressing Needs of Nation

Chandigarh, February 1

Punjab Finance Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema has strongly criticized the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman for the fiscal year 2025-26, terming it as a “disappointing budget” for the people of Punjab. Finance Minister Cheema said that the budget is focused on Bihar’s election, catering to the BJP’s political interests rather than addressing the needs of the nation.

Addressing a press conference here at Punjab Bhawan, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema expressed his disappointment that none of the demands made by Punjab during the pre-budget meeting held in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan on December 20, 2024, were met in the budget. He pointed out that the budget failed to mention the names of states other than belongs to parties in alliance with BJP at centre, highlighting the Prime Minister’s bias towards specific states.

Detailing the demands put forward by Punjab in the pre-budget meeting, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema emphasized that Punjab, as a border state, has demanded a special industrial package for its five border districts to promote employment and development. He said the state has also demanded Rs 1000 crore for strengthening police infrastructure along the 500 km hostile border with Pakistan. Furthermore, he expressed disappointment that the long-standing demands for the Rajpura to Chandigarh railway line and Vande Bharat Rail services from Amritsar and Bathinda to Delhi were also ignored in the budget.

In response to a media query about the Minimum Support Price (MSP) guarantee, Finance Minister Cheema said that that the BJP led Union government harboring animosity towards Punjab did not address the demand for a package to encourage crop diversification what to talk about MSP Guarantee. “Punjab, which contributes about 21 percent of rice and 51 percent of wheat to the central pool, needs support to move away from this crop cycle”, said Cheema while mentioning that the state-center formula to resolve the issue of stubble burning was presented in the pre-budget meeting but was ignored in the budget. Furthermore, there was no mention of the release of funds from the Rural Development Fund and National Health Mission, which are pending with the center, nor any solution provided for the annual loss of Rs. 800 to Rs 1200 crores to Punjab due to high interest rates on the Cash Credit Limit (CCL). Cheema criticized the Union Budget for increasing the limit of the Kisan Credit Card rather than focusing on increasing their income, which he argued would further increase farmers’ debt.

Finance Minister Cheema also highlighted the demand raised in pre-budget meeting to increase the remuneration of mid-day meal workers from Rs 600 per month for 10 months, which has been stagnant for the last 15 years, to Rs 2000 per month for 12 months. He noted that there was no mention of this demand in the budget, nor the demand to increase the salary of Anganwadi workers.

Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema concluded that the budget has neglected the needs of Punjab’s people, farmers, industrialists, and traders, despite the state’s repeated requests to the central government. He emphasized that the Prime Minister’s claims of a heartfelt bond with Punjab are mere rhetoric, as the reality reflects a deep-seated hatred towards the state.