Chandigarh, March 27
Senior leader and spokesperson of the Aam Aadmi Party Punjab, Pawan Kumar Tinu, praised the Punjab Budget 2025-26 and thanked Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and party supremo Arvind Kejriwal for making special provisions for the Scheduled Caste community in the budget.
Addressing a press conference in Jalandhar on Thursday along with AAP leader Tarandeep Singh Sunny, Pawan Tinu said that this budget is the biggest in Punjab's history and, most importantly, does not impose any new tax.
Pawan Tinu particularly praised the decision to waive off loans amounting to ₹70 crore taken by Dalit families under the Scheduled Caste Finance Corporation until March 31, 2020. He said this decision has benefitted over 4,650 families who were unable to repay due to high-interest rates and financial difficulties. He criticized the Congress Party for this, stating that Congress leaders promised to waive these loans to gain Dalit votes during the 2017 Assembly elections but did nothing once in power.
Additionally, key allocations in the budget include ₹262 crore for scholarships for Scheduled Caste and Backward Class students, ₹36 crore under the Ashirwad scheme to assist with the marriage of girls from underprivileged families, and ₹6,175 crore for social welfare programs benefitting women, senior citizens, differently-abled individuals, divorced or single women.
The government has also allocated ₹450 crore to continue free bus services and ₹1,177 crore under the nutrition campaign to provide nutritious meals to women and children in Anganwadi centers.
He said the budget also reflects the AAP government's campaign against drugs and its commitment to eradicating drugs. ₹110 crore has been allocated for advanced anti-drone systems to combat cross-border smuggling, and ₹150 crore for Punjab’s first drug census.
Tinu added that promoting sports is an effective way to eradicate drugs. Hence, the AAP government is reviving Punjab's sporting tradition. The 2025-26 budget has allocated ₹979 crore for sports, the highest ever. Sports grounds are being constructed in every village, along with more than 3,000 indoor gyms.
The AAP government is also building a Healthy Punjab. This year's budget includes a decision to bring 65 lakh families under health insurance, increasing the coverage under the 'Chief Minister Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana' from ₹5 lakh to ₹10 lakh per family, with ₹778 crore allocated for this purpose.
For rural development, a provision of around ₹3,500 crore has been made in the budget, which will be used to repair and construct approximately 19,000 kilometers of link roads in villages, completely transforming the rural landscape. Additionally, thousands of crores have been allocated for public welfare initiatives in the budget. For this, the Punjab government and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann deserve praise.