Chandigarh, March 8: Ashwani Sharma, the acting president of the Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), stated on Sunday that the state budget represents a significant betrayal of the mothers and sisters of Punjab, as well as a disappointment for farmers, employees, and the general public.
Responding to the 2026-27 budget, Sharma addressed the media, noting that the Aam Aadmi Party government, formed on March 16, 2022, will complete four years—48 months—on that date. He mentioned that the proposed budget allocation stands at ₹260,437 crore, with an estimated Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of ₹980,635 crore and a projected growth rate of 10 percent.
Sharma argued that if the Bhagwant Mann government were genuinely sensitive to women’s issues, it should have included a provision in the budget to provide a one-time payment of ₹48,000 to women, calculated at ₹1,000 per month for the past four years.
He criticized the government for announcing a payment of ₹1,000 or ₹1,500 to women without allocating the full budget necessary for this initiative. Approximately ₹15,000 crore is needed for this program, yet only ₹9,300 crore has been allocated in the budget.
Additionally, Sharma pointed out that the government has imposed registration requirements for this scheme. He highlighted that the registration for the ₹10 lakh health insurance scheme remains incomplete, indicating that the registration for this new initiative will likely face similar delays, preventing women from benefiting.
He also claimed that farmers have been deceived, as the government has failed to establish a minimum support price (MSP) for all 24 crops, despite electoral promises, and has not provided any legal guarantees for it.
Sharma accused the state government of misrepresenting funds from central government schemes as its own. He noted that road projects worth approximately ₹15,000 crore fall under central government schemes. Furthermore, housing for the poor, funded under Amrit 2.0, amounts to ₹3,504 crore, along with facilities like new classrooms and computers in schools, which are also financed by the central government.
He concluded by stating that the budget neglects health services and the interests of employees, leading to public discontent.
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