In a powerful nod to women’s pivotal role, Punjab’s government rolled out its ₹2.36 lakh crore budget for 2025-26 on March 8, International Women’s Day. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, addressing the assembly, called it a transformative blueprint for ‘Changing Punjab’, prioritizing health, education, rural progress, farming, industry, sports, and welfare.
Punjab’s economy shows steadfast recovery, eyeing GSDP of nearly ₹29 lakh crore in 2025-26 and scaling to ₹9.8 lakh crore next year with 10% growth from agriculture boosts, service expansions, and industrial surge. Proposed spending for 2026-27 hits ₹12.6 lakh crore, maintaining revenue deficit at 2.06% and fiscal at 4.08% of GSDP – hallmarks of fiscal discipline.
Empowering women headline the budget: Every woman receives ₹1,000 monthly, SC women ₹1,500, via direct bank transfers under ‘Mukhyamantri Matayen-Betiyan Satkar Yojana’.
Education gets ₹19,279 crore (up 7%), building on four years of overhaul: 99% schools walled, 10,095 toilets, over 1 lakh desks, 8,286 cleaners, 3,000+ guards, 1,798 managers, 6,200 new/4,700 renovated classrooms. ₹690 crore more for infrastructure and beautification to instill pride.
Drug war intensifies with 5,000 border homeguards, ₹110 crore anti-drone tech, and ₹150 crore ‘Drug Census’ for in-depth analysis.
‘112’ emergency upgrade: 758 cars, 916 bikes to slash response to 8 minutes (₹125 crore), Mohali HQ at ₹53 crore.
Youth sports push via ‘Khedda Punjab, Badalda Punjab’: Village fields, 3,000 gyms, ₹979 crore allocation.
Healthcare: ₹5,598 crore total, ₹778 crore for family cashless cover up to ₹10 lakh/year. Rural dev ₹2,873 crore, urban ₹225 crore (347 e-buses). 300 free power units/month (₹7,614 crore). Agri ₹14,524 crore, social welfare ₹9,340 crore, industry policy ₹250 crore.
This budget signals Punjab’s forward march, blending welfare with growth.