Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday hailed the tax-free budget of the state government for the year 2022-23 as “a roadmap for New Punjab”.

“I congratulate finance minister Harpal Cheema for presenting the historic budget made in consultation with the common man,” said the CM. 

Terming the Budget as a balanced, developing oriented and reflective of pro-people policies of the state government, Mann said this people’s budget has been made to bring revolution in sectors of education, health, agriculture, and commerce. He said the government will soon fulfill all the guarantees promised to the people and drastic reforms will be visible soon in the fiscal sector.

The CM said the budget aims at serving the weakest of the weak and poorest of the poor sections of society in the right earnest. Mann said the budget will certainly boost the tempo of all-around development of the state be it in the sector of agriculture, industry, infrastructure, power, education, or health besides empowering the women and weaker sections of the society.

The CM said the budget for technical education has been enhanced by 48 percent to impart technical education to youth for opening new vistas of self-employment for them and Rs 9449 Crore has been kept for strengthening the law and order of the state. Likewise, he said that enhancing the budget of medical education and research by 57 percent, that of the youth and youth services department by 52 percent, the health department by 24 percent, employment generation by 32 percent, industry, and commerce by 48 percent will give impetus to growth and progress of the state.

The CM said the current budget is a milestone that will go a long way in setting new parameters of growth and development to take the state to the new zenith thereby cherishing the aspirations of the people of Punjab to realize the goal of New Punjab in near future.

Mann expressed hope that the new budget will also bring in far more financial discipline with economic prudence in narrowing down the fiscal deficit with a focus on the enhancement of revenue through resource mobilisation.

He said the special allocation of funds to combat the problem of drug abuse besides making budgetary provisions for health, education, eradication of unemployment amongst youth, and path-breaking steps to be taken to keep the fiscal stress in check had been incorporated in the budget, which speaks volumes of state government’s commitment to take on these issues on a war footing.