The Bhagwant Mann Government in Punjab will present its budget for 2023-24 on 10 March. The Budget Session of Punjab Assembly will be held from 3 March to 24 March.

This was decided at a Cabinet meeting chaired by the chief minister on Tuesday. A spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that the Cabinet authorised the governor to convene the session, as per Article 174 of the Constitution.

As per the schedule, the budget session will commence on 3 March at 10 am with Governor’s Address followed by obituary references at 2 pm.  On 6 March, the motion of thanks and discussion on Governor’s Address will take place at 10 am till the conclusion of the same.

The Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India for the year 2021-22, presentation of supplementary grants for year 2022-23 and Appropriation bill on supplementary demands for grants for year 2022-23 will be held on 7 March, followed by legislative business.

Non official business will be held on 9 March and Budget estimates for the year 2023-24 will be presented before the House on 10 March followed by general discussion on the budget. General discussion on the Budget estimates for the year 2023-24 will resume at 10 am on 11 March till its conclusion and voting. Non-official business will be conducted at 10 am on 22 March, followed by legislative business on 24 March after which the house will be adjourned sine-die.

The Cabinet also gave ex-post-facto approval to the officers committee constituted by the finance department to formulate the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the implementation of the old pension scheme in Punjab.

With a view to provide houses at affordable prices to the lower income group in the state, the Cabinet also gave green signal to notify Affordable Colony Policy, 2023. The policy proposes to increase the saleable area from 62 per cent to 65 per cent and further to reduce charges to 50 per cent of the applicable charges in respective zones in Punjab (except in regional and master plans).

The Cabinet also accorded approval to “Integrated Logistics and Logistics Park Policy”.  “Punjab has built a robust logistics infrastructure and has carried out various regulatory and structural reforms and has also designated Logistics as thrust sector. The policy offers several incentives for the development of infrastructure like logistics parks and trucker parks to ensure de-carbonization of the sector,” the spokesperson said.

The Cabinet also gave nod to implement ‘Punjab Young Entrepreneur Program’, which envisions development of entrepreneurial skills and mindsets in students of government schools, to prepare them for the real world – as job creators and problem solvers for the country in general and Punjab in particular.

Under this programme, a Business Blasters Programme has been launched as per which the department will provide seed money to a group of students to develop and implement a business idea (Rs 2,000 per student).