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Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Tuesday said that the Punjab government's upcoming state budget, to be presented on March 8, will be a "historic" one, highlighting gains in excise and GST revenues over the past four years.
Speaking with ANI, Cheema said, "Our budget, coming on Women's Day on March 8th, will be a historic budget. We have made significant gains in the last four years. Whether it's excise or GST, when the Congress government was in power, its treasury received Rs 27,395 crore in excise revenue. To date, in 46 months, we have received Rs 37,975 crore. Furthermore, if I talk about GST, when the Congress government was in power, they only brought in Rs 61,000 crore, but during our four-year tenure, we have recorded revenue of Rs 83,000 crore." Citing revenue figures, the minister said that excise collections have witnessed a substantial rise compared to the previous Congress government. He further stated that GST revenue has also seen a marked increase during the current government's tenure. Earlier, on February 26, the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Secretariat issued a notification summoning the Sixteenth Vidhan Sabha of the State of Punjab to meet for its Twelfth Budget Session on March 6. As per the notification dated February 26, the session has been summoned by Gulab Chand Kataria in exercise of the powers conferred under Clause (1) of Article 174 of the Constitution of India. The House will assemble at 11:00 am on March 6 in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Hall, Vidhan Bhavan, Chandigarh. Earlier, addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said, "We have decided to hold the budget session of the Punjab Assembly from March 6 to March 16. Depending on the BAC (Business Advisory Committee), if needed, the session will be extended. We will present the budget on Sunday, March 8th. If PM Modi can run Parliament on Sunday, can't we? March 8 isn't just a Sunday; it's also International Women's Day." Bhagwant Mann further announced the Meri Rasoi scheme for 40 lakh families, under which the state government will distribute ration kits. "The scheme impacting 40 lakh families, Meri Rasoi. The wheat given under the public distribution system will continue, and the quality of the wheat has also improved. Now, to make Punjab's food more nutritious, we are launching the scheme, under which the Punjab government will distribute food kits to 40 lakh families. Along with wheat, two kilograms of dal, two kilograms of sugar, one kilogram iodised salt, 200 grams of turmeric powder and one litre of oil," he said. (ANI)
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