Punjba FM terms Union Budget as 'completely disappointing', says none of state's demands met

Chandigarh, Feb 1 (PTI) Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Saturday described the Union Budget as "completely disappointing," claiming that none of the state's demands, including a package for crop diversification, were met, and it shows how much the BJP "hates" the border state.

Cheema further said the Union Budget for 2025-26 was focused on Bihar's elections, catering to the BJP's political interests rather than addressing the needs of the nation.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her eighth budget in Parliament in Delhi on Saturday. Addressing the media, Cheema expressed his disappointment that none of the demands made by the Punjab government during the pre-budget meeting held in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, on December 20 last year were met in the budget.

He pointed out that the budget "failed" to mention the names of states other than those belonging to parties in alliance with the BJP at the Centre, highlighting the Prime Minister's "bias" towards specific states.

Cheema emphasised that Punjab, as a border state, had demanded a special industrial package for its five border districts to promote employment and development, similar to Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

He said the state had also demanded Rs 1,000 crore for strengthening police infrastructure along the 550 km border with Pakistan.

Furthermore, he expressed disappointment that the long-standing demands for the Rajpura to Chandigarh railway line and Vande Bharat rail services from Amritsar and Bathinda to Delhi were also ignored in the budget.

"The budget has completely disappointed Punjab. None of the demands of Punjab were considered. It shows how much the BJP hates Punjab," he said.

In response to a media query about a legal guarantee to the MSP, Cheema said that the BJP-led Union government, "harboring animosity" towards Punjab, did not address the demand for a package to encourage crop diversification, let alone an MSP guarantee.

"Punjab, which contributes about 21 percent of rice and 51 percent of wheat to the central pool, needs support to move away from this crop cycle," Cheema said, mentioning that the state-center formula to resolve the issue of stubble burning was presented in the pre-budget meeting but was ignored in the budget.

Furthermore, there was no mention of the release of funds from the Rural Development Fund and National Health Mission, which are pending with the Centre, nor any solution provided for the annual loss of Rs 800 to Rs 1,200 crore to Punjab due to high interest rates on the Cash Credit Limit (CCL).

On the budget announcing an increase in the limit of the Kisan Credit Card, Cheema argued that rather than focusing on increasing farmers' income, it would further lead to farm debt.

Meanwhile, senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Singh Badal said it was unfortunate that the budget did not go for "inclusive development" of the nation and concentrated on poll-bound states, even as he asserted the agricultural economy had been put in "peril" by ignoring all the demands of farmers, including providing a legal guarantee on MSP and waiving farmer loans.

In a statement, Badal said, "It is unfortunate that the focus was on Bihar and Assam, which go to the polls this year, even as an important state like Punjab has been completely ignored." He said it was unfortunate that the government had failed to earmark funds for ensuring MSP on all crops, as per the assurance given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi four years ago.

He added that similarly, no funds were earmarked for a comprehensive farm loan waiver, which was needed across the country, given the distress in the agriculture sector.

Senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa said the Union Budget failed to offer anything for the state's farmers. "It is more a betrayal to our farmers than a forward-looking budget," he said.

"There is no mention of giving MSP legal backing -- a demand of crores of farmers across India. In fact, for over a year, the farmers of India stood against the Union government's farm laws, and MSP was a key pillar of their demands," Bajwa said in a statement.

"Roughly 57 per cent of all Indians still rely on the agriculture sector for their sustenance. By the government's own statistics, 55.4 per cent of all farmers in 2021-2022 had outstanding debts. The average debt for an agricultural household is roughly Rs 91,000. Despite these facts, the Union government has made no announcement regarding loan waivers for our farmers or any plan to suitably increase farmers’ income," he said.

Meanwhile, Punjab BJP General Secretary Anil Sarin hailed the budget, saying it takes care of each section, including farmers, women, the poor, youth and industry. PTI CHS ARD ARD

Source: PTI