Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema strongly criticized the Union Budget presented today by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, alleging that the Central government has deliberately sidelined Punjab.
Addressing a press conference, Cheema stated that Punjab’s demands in the pre-budget meetings were completely ignored. He accused the BJP-led government of harboring bias against Punjab, saying, “The budget has once again exposed the Centre’s hatred towards Punjab.”
Cheema pointed out that no special package was allocated for Punjab, and no attention was given to agriculture, which is the backbone of the state’s economy. He revealed that the Punjab government had requested a special industrial package for five districts, but the Centre ignored it.
Criticizing the Centre’s discriminatory approach, Cheema stated that Punjab was not even mentioned in the budget speech. On the credit limit expansion, he remarked that while the Centre spoke about increasing farmers’ loan limits, it did not propose any measures to boost their income.
Cheema concluded by saying that the Union government’s neglect of Punjab is evident, as the budget fails to address the state’s economic concerns.
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema has expressed hope for justice for the state from the Union Budget 2025. Finance Minister Cheema said, We hope that this time justice will be done with the state. Ever since the BJP government came to power at the Centre, there has been financial discrimination against Punjab. But this time there is full hope that Punjab will definitely get something.
Cheema said that in the pre-budget meeting held in Jaisalmer, the Punjab government had raised many important issues related to the agriculture sector. These include MSP guarantee, promotion of agricultural diversification, special support for stubble management, special package for farming.
Harpal Cheema said that Punjab is a border state, so there is a need for a special package for border districts so that the youth can get employment. He demanded an industrial package for Punjab like Jammu and Kashmir.
In addition, the Punjab government has also demanded Rs 1000 crore to strengthen the police infrastructure in the border areas and improve the security arrangements.