Hoshiarpur- Lok Sabha member Dr. Raj Kumar Chabbewal, while describing the Punjab Budget-2025 presented in the Assembly today as a milestone in the progress of the state, said that the budget of the Punjab Government is dedicated to public welfare, farmers, industries and overall development of the state. MP Dr. Raj Kumar Chabbewal, while praising the vision of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, described the Rangla Punjab Vikas Yojana as a big step and said that it would promote development in every sector of the state.
He said that a provision of Rs 13937 crore has been made under this scheme to be run through Deputy Commissioners. He said that the announcement by the Punjab Government to waive off all loans taken till March 31, 2020, giving great relief to the beneficiaries of loans taken from Scheduled Caste Land Development and Finance Corporation, is a historic decision, which will benefit 4650 people. The Lok Sabha member said that the decision of Chief Minister and Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema to keep Rs 13937 crore for Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan, which is 34 per cent of the total budget, is highly commendable.
He said that the government's allocation of Rs 150 crore for the development of Scheduled Castes, Backward Classes, Minorities and Dalits will promote the all-round development of these classes. Dr. Raj Kumar Chabbewal said that in the field of agriculture and farmers' welfare, Rs 14524 crore has been allocated for agriculture and allied sectors with an increase of 5 per cent in the budget compared to last year.
He said that the inclusion of 65 lakh families of Punjab in the State Health Insurance Scheme is a commendable decision, under which everyone, whether rural or urban, rich or poor, will be able to avail the benefits of this scheme. He said that increasing the insurance cover to Rs 10 lakh annually for all the families of Punjab is also a very big pro-people decision, which also includes those covered under the Central Government scheme and they will get an additional top-up cover of Rs 5 lakh from the Punjab Government.
The MP thanked Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and said that with the health cards given to all the families under the Chief Minister Health Insurance Scheme, they will be able to get cashless treatment up to Rs 10 lakh in government and private hospitals of the state, which will prove to be a big facility for the people. He said that this rich budget of the state government will further strengthen the foundation of self-reliant Punjab.