Chandigarh, Feb 1 Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Saturday criticised the Union Budget 2025-26, terming it as "disappointing" as the state government had demanded a special industrial package for five border districts to promote employment and development.
He said the Budget "is focused on Bihar's election, catering to the BJP's political interests rather than addressing the needs of the nation".
Addressing the media here, Cheema expressed disappointment that none of the demands made by Punjab during the pre-budget meeting held in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer on December 20, 2024, were met in the Budget.
He contended that the Budget failed to mention the names of states other than those ruled by parties in alliance with the BJP at the Centre, highlighting the Prime Minister's bias towards specific states.
Detailing the demands put forward by Punjab in the pre-budget meeting, the Finance Minister emphasised 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 1,000 crore for strengthening police infrastructure along the 500-km hostile border with Pakistan.
Furthermore, he expressed disappointment that 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, he said the BJP-led Union government harbouring 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 per cent of rice and 51 per cent of wheat to the central pool, needs support to move away from this crop cycle," said Cheema, while mentioning that the state-Centre 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 the National Health Mission, which are pending with the Centre, nor any solution provided for the annual loss of Rs 800 to Rs 1,200 crore to Punjab due to high interest rates on the Cash Credit Limit (CCL).
Cheema criticised 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.
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