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Punjab seeks ₹1k crore package to boost police infra in border districts
Besides this, the state also sought industrial incentives similar to those provided to Jammu & Kashmir and neighbouring hill states to support Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
Punjab, during a pre-budget meeting with Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Jaisalmer, raised a demand for central assistance to strengthen its police infrastructure and security efforts in border districts, with a grant of ₹1,000 crore.
Besides this, the state also sought industrial incentives similar to those provided to Jammu & Kashmir and neighbouring hill states to support Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
Revealing this in a press release issued here on Sunday, state finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that the state has strongly raised the demand to restore NABARD’s Short-Term Seasonal Agricultural Operations (ST-SAO) limit to ₹3,041 crore, from the reduced limit of ₹1,100 crore for FY 2024-25.
“This is vital to prevent farmers from turning to moneylenders, aligning with the ‘Sahakar se Samriddhi’ principle, Cheema said adding that several states raised this issue and it was discussed at length.
For road connectivity under PM Gati Shakti in Rajpura, Punjab has requested ₹100 crore to construct a 5.6 km, 45m wide approach road connecting NH 44 to the Integrated Manufacturing Cluster (IMC) in Rajpura. This funding is essential for the timely completion of road construction and the successful implementation of the industrial cluster.
Expressing gratitude for the Vande Bharat train connecting Amritsar with New Delhi, the Punjab government requested another Vande Bharat train to connect Bathinda, an agricultural and commercial hub, with the national capital.
Cheema also proposed financial support to address crop residue management in Punjab. He said despite providing 1.45 lakh crop residue management (CRM) machines since 2018, high operational costs remain a challenge. The Punjab government has proposed an incentive of ₹2,500 per acre, with ₹2,000 per acre from the Centre and ₹500 per acre from the state. The total cost of this initiative is estimated at ₹2,000 crore, with the Centre footing ₹1,600 crore as budgetary support.
Furthermore, the Cheema requested a special budget allocation for paddy diversification. “Diversifying paddy cultivation across 10 lakh hectares could result in substantial savings of over ₹30,000 crore. The government has proposed allocating a portion of these savings towards a comprehensive diversification package,” he said as per the press release.
In addressing the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin) scheme, Finance Minister Cheema proposed enhancing the grant from ₹1.2 lakh to ₹2.5 lakh per beneficiary to accommodate rising construction costs. The minister also highlighted the need to release pending funds under the national health mission (NHM), amounting to ₹1,119 crore, and requested an increase in the honorarium for cook-cum-helpers under the PM Poshan Abhiyaan from ₹600 to ₹2,000 per month. Additionally, Punjab sought support for urban transportation e-bus services, requesting ₹300 crore for the procurement of 250 new electric buses and the installation of charging points.
The state also called for reimbursement of procurement costs by the Union government, modernization of driving license testing with advanced technology, and reimbursement of pending rural development fee (RDF) amounting to ₹6,857 crore.
