Chandigarh, March 9: The Punjab government’s budget for 2026-27, presented by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Sunday, has faced sharp criticism from the opposition. They have labeled the budget as meaningless and accused the government of deceiving the public.
Independent MLA Sandeep Jakhar stated, “The budget has been presented, but the people of Punjab no longer trust it. In the previous budget, a promise was made for 16 medical colleges, yet after four and a quarter years, not a single one has materialized. Discussions were held regarding the minimum support price (MSP) for moong, and several agricultural policies were promised, but nothing has been implemented so far. Similarly, there were loud commitments regarding the Malwa Canal, but no progress has been made.”
Jakhar further remarked, “The mention of a five-crore MLA fund has been repeated. The former Chief Minister made this claim, but nothing came of it. The Aam Aadmi Party government continually accuses the BJP of discrimination to cover up its failures.”
Punjab’s Deputy MP Aruna Chaudhary commented, “The budget is merely a manipulation of figures. There is nothing new in the budget data. They previously stated they would not take on new debt and would attempt to repay old loans. This promise was made before they came to power. This government has taken on more debt than any previous administration.”
On International Women’s Day, the Punjab government presented a budget of ₹2,36,080 crore for the fiscal year 2026-27, which included the announcement of the ‘Chief Minister Mothers-Daughters Honor Scheme.’ Under this scheme, women from the general category will receive ₹1,000 per month, while women from Scheduled Castes will receive ₹1,500 monthly. Additionally, every family will be entitled to cashless treatment up to ₹10 lakh annually. A provision of ₹778 crore has been allocated for this scheme, with a total budget of ₹5,598 crore earmarked for the health department.
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