Opposition flags Rs 4.5L cr debt, demands Rs 1,500 monthly allowance for BC and OBC women

Chandigarh: The Punjab Vidhan Sabha's budget session witnessed a sharp debate on the budget estimates for the 2026-27 fiscal plan, which Congress dismissed as a "jugglery of figures" designed for electoral optics.Flagging that the mounting debt projected to reach Rs 4,47,754 crore, the opposition demanded the monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 proposed for SC women be extended to those from BC and OBC communities, rather than the proposed standard Rs 1,000 stipend. During the discussion, Congress MLA Pargat Singh led the charge, calling the budget a "jugglery of figures" while referring to the mounting outstanding debt. He said despite the AAP govt's pre-poll promise to turn the mining sector into a "money spinner", the state remained heavily reliant on loans. BSP's Nacchatar Pal demanded that OBC women also be entitled to the Rs 1,500 rate, while AAP MLA Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi (who quit SAD to join AAP) called for the same benefit to be extended to women from Backward Classes (BC), citing their dire economic conditions. Sukhi, meanwhile, appreciated the budget, claiming that when coupled with other welfare allowances, the monthly stipend for women will bring big economic relief for several households. Pargat Singh also launched a scathing attack on the law and order situation, suggesting that the safety of "brothers and sons" was a greater priority for Punjab's women than a monthly stipend. He also challenged the AAP govt's claims of educational reform by pointing out that student enrolment in govt schools actually saw a decline. He also questioned the transparency of recent police encounter near the Pakistan border, involving Ranjit Singh, and demanded an inquiry commission led by a retired judge. He said steps needed to be taken to prevent the state from becoming a "police state". On the issue of drug trafficking, he asked why the state was not raising the issue effectively with the Centre despite the BSF's extended 50 km jurisdiction along the international border. Pargat Singh said that before the last assembly polls, the AAP leadership had promised to bring closure on the issue of religious sacrilege, which had not happened. He said there were 8,000 hospitals in the state, but the AAP govt indulged in "branding" to come up with Mohalla Clinics. He said that the ground realities were different from figures furnished by the bureaucracy and police. On the anti-drug campaign, Pargat Singh said if the BSF's jurisdiction had been extended to 50 km along the international border, why the state govt was not taking up the issue of drugs with the BJP-led Centre. He said that the drugs supply chain was not being broken. Congress MLA Barindermeet Singh Pahra highlighted the deficient healthcare infrastructure in Gurdaspur, alleging that the district hospital's oxygen plant and ventilators were non-functional for years despite the govt's focus on Mohalla Clinics. Independent MLA Inder Partap Singh flagged a critical gap in the Mukh Mantri Sehat Beema Yojna, noting that the mandate for treatment at govt hospitals for premature deliveries was impossible to meet as no govt facility currently offered a neonatal ICU. He also raised the issue of overcharging of liquor by contractors at the 5,000 marriage palaces in the state. He concluded by noting that the 2026-27 budget's reliance on further borrowing would only deepen the state's existing debt crisis. "The budget proposed a loan of Rs 50,000 crore and I already predicted that the debt of the state would cross the Rs 5 lakh crore mark, which is now projected in the budget," he said. The budget estimates presented by finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Sunday proposed the ‘Mukh Mantri Mawan Dhian Satikar Yojna' with a Rs 1,500 monthly allowance for SC women and Rs 1,000 for others. Sparring over past charges The session turned personal when Pargat Singh raised past charges against AAP MLAs Vijay Singla and Fauja Singh Sarari, leading to sharp retorts. Singla accused the Congress MLA of "character assassination", while Sarari maintained there was no evidence against him. Meanwhile, while raising the issue of irregularities in the post matric scholarship scheme for SC students, Sukhi made allegations against a former Congress minister, which was objected to by the Congress MLAs, pointing out that someone who was not present in the House cannot be named. ‘Release Rangla Punjab funds to oppn MLAs' MLAs Nacchatar Pal and Pahra also accused the ruling party of not releasing funds from opposition constituencies under the ‘Rangla Punjab Vikas Scheme' and demanded that it should be done in the upcoming fiscal. MSID:: 129334652 413 |