Speaker Sir, 

1.                  I rise today to present the Budget (2021-22) of the Government of Punjab, led by the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh Ji, for the fifth consecutive time. I am humbled by the efforts and achievements of your Government. The opportunity to serve as a minister in Congress Government, afforded to me by the people of this great State, has been an unparalleled honour and privilege.

2.                    Speaker Sir, when our government assumed office in 2017, I was under no illusion regarding the dire conditions of Punjab’s fiscal health. I was well aware that our financial circumstances were far from ideal, but despite having presented four budgets previously, I was astonished by the extent to which the preceding government had bankrupted our State and essentially mortgaged our people’s future.

3.                  In the previous centuries, our nation was colonized and its people enslaved. We must be acutely aware that the new and far more insidious form of bondage in this modern world, is achieved not by military force but by financial debt that creates compulsions amounting to subjugation. I haven’t the slightest hesitation in making the assertion, that the actions of the previous Akali-BJP regime, were for all practical purposes an attempt to reduce this State to a form of slave-hood. Basic budgetary principles were ignored, deficits multiplied, and they blatantly and brazenly lied about it.

4.                  Speaker Sir, as a Minister and as a representative of this august House, I am concerned about the present, but I am also cognizant of what we leave for posterity, and of the impact our actions have on future generations. It is a matter of immense pride for me to report that Punjab’s economy is today stronger and more stable because this government had the courage to confront the problems and take difficult decisions. Punjab’s economy is growing, despite the upheaval caused by the global pandemic that severely impacted revenue generation. This has been possible because our government took responsible decisions, shunned short-term fixes and pursued a long-term economic plan.

5.                  In these four years, I have ensured that the budgetary principles are adhered to by all departments. I have tried to inculcate good habits in relation to earnings and expenditure, and if in this process, I have earned the moniker of being a miser and a strict Finance Minister, then I do apologize. But it is the hard-earned money of the Punjabi taxpayer that I have been miserly with, and the fruits of our labour are before us. Also good finances is 80% about good behaviour and 20% good knowledge. We can never create good news from bad behaviour. Sir, I am reminded of the hauntingly beautiful words of a Poet I quote in original:

“Jo Yakeen ke Rah par Chal Padey Unhey Manjilon Ne Panah De,

Jinhey Basbason Ne Dra Diya

Boh Kadam-Kadam Pe Behak Gaye”

6.                  Elders tell us that there are three types of people in this world – the haves, the have nots, and those who are indebted to the haves. Whether we are in the first or the second category often depends on circumstances beyond our control. But to be in the third category is a personal choice. We decided that Punjab cannot and should not fall in that category.

7.                  Let me unequivocally state the Congress’ commitment for a concerted effort to restore Punjab’s lost glory. This sacred soil deserves better. Our noble ancestors deserve better. We will redeem our people’s pride or die in the attempt. I quote the famous scene of the defense of the river Tiber from Lord Macaulay’s ‘Lays of Ancient Rome’, “Then out spake brave Horatius; The captain of the gate “To every man upon this earth, death cometh soon or late, and how can man die better, than facing fearful odds, for the ashes of his father, and the temples of his gods.”

8.                  Speaker Sir, Budgets are not just a collection of numbers, but an expression of our values and aspirations. This budget is a reflection of the values of our Government, and the aspirations of all Punjabi’s, whether they continue to live in this historic land or are a part of our large diaspora.

9.                  I can invite attention here only to the leading facts of our State finances, details have been set forth with elaborate care in the lucid Explanatory Memorandum circulated separately. I must attempt a survey un-encumbered by details to assist the Hon’ble Members to form a clear and definite picture of our finances.

10.              Mr. Speaker Sir, before I present my budgetary proposals, I, on behalf of every Member of this august House, would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all the Corona warriors who have been working with utmost devotion, dedication, sincerity, placing us before their own self in the collective fight against the hitherto unknown, unpredictable COVID virus. I will also be elaborating, in the later part of my speech, the steps taken by the State in its fight against the COVID-19.

FISCAL CONSOLIDATION

11.              Sir, I have been drawing the attention of this august House to the state of affairs that the predecessor Government had pushed the prosperous State of Punjab to. What more can be a true testimony to how the previous Government mismanaged the affairs than the fact that the RBI imposed an embargo, through written instructions, to the agency banks to stop the payments of Government of Punjab and that too, at the most crucial part of the Financial Year i.e. from 29 March 2017 to 31 March 2017. The bills amounting to Rs. 7,791 crore lapsed while an additional debt burden of Rs. 30,584.11 crore, on account of mismanagement in foodgrains procurement leading to CCL gap, was taken over by the State. In the midst of this crisis, the new Government, led by Capt. Amarinder Singh Ji was taking over the reins of the Government.

12.              Mr. Speaker Sir, the challenge before me was immense- making Punjab rise like a Phoenix from the ashes it had been reduced to. The true Punjabi pride, who is always ready to lay his life than to lay his honour, needed to be redeemed. Speaker Sir, the vision laid by your Government was thus clear- Empower the State to meet not only the daily challenges of Governance but to deal with any unexpected, unforeseen eventuality without compromising its pride. Sir, with all humbleness, I submit that the State not only met all its committed expenditures, including social security pension and current power subsidy, on monthly basis timely but successfully implemented the decision of withdrawal of optional extensions in service announced on the floor of this House with an objective to give employment opportunity to our youth, even when the receipts had drastically fallen in the face of a lockdown.

13.              I would take this opportunity to share with this august House, the determined steps taken by the present government to bring a turnaround in the fiscal situation and to bring the State economy back on its track. The macro-

economic parameter of an economy’s growth, reflective of impact of Government’s policies, GSDP, has grown, on an average, at the rate of 10.43% over the past 3 years (2017-18 to 2019-2020) against an average growth rate of 8.87% during the last 3 years (2014-15 to 2016-2017) of the previous Government. The State GSDP, in absolute numbers, has increased from Rs. 4,26,988 crore in 2016-17 to Rs. 6,07,594 crore in 2021-22 BE, i.e. an increase of 42.30% over 2016-17. Further, the Per Capita Income of the State has increased from Rs. 1,28,780 in 2016-17 to Rs. 1,66,830 in 2019-20 which is 24.29% higher than the national average of Rs. 1,34,226.

14.              The State notified a Cabinet Subcommittee on Fiscal Management under the Chairmanship of our visionary Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh Ji to draw a road map for boosting the States revenues and rationalizing its expenditures. Resultantly, the Total Revenue Receipts (TRR) of the State are expected to grow by 98.52% i.e. from Rs. 47,985 crore in 2016-17 to Rs. 95,258 crore in 2021-22 BE; an exponential growth of over 59% is expected in the collection of Excise Duty on liquor, i.e. from Rs. 4,406 crore in 2016-17 to Rs. 7,002 crore in 2021-22 BE while the Electricity Duty collection will increase from Rs. 1,993 crore in 2016-17 to Rs. 3,026 crore in 2021-22 BE. Further, rationalisation of stamp duty on registration of property in urban areas by reducing it from the existing 9% to 6% led to an increase in stamps revenue by 12.43% i.e. from Rs. 2,044 crore in 2016-17 to Rs. 2,298 crore in 2018-19 itself and is further expected to fetch Rs. 2,890 crore during 2021-22 BE.

15.              Speaker Sir, the policy decision of routing the receipts of State Agencies into the Consolidated Fund of the State, thus, bringing such receipts within the scrutiny of Vidhan Sabha has yielded a positive impact as seen in 32% rise in the Non-Tax Revenue (NTR) expected in 2021-22 BE over 2016-17.

16.              Sir, while presenting the first Budget in 2017-18, we had informed the august House of a funding gap of Rs. 10,273 crore. It is my privilege to share the happy news that this resource gap was reduced to Rs. 4,175 crore in 2018-19; to Rs. 2,323 crore in 2019-20 and this Government has now been successful in achieving a Zero Funding gap for two consecutive years i.e. 2020-21 and 2021-22.

17.                 The legacy of fiscal mismanagement of previous government is also seen in its Treasury management. The State treasury remained in period of overdraft for 148 days in 2014-15, 57 days in 2015-16 and 179 days in 2016-17. I am gratified to inform the House that due to our prudent fiscal management; the State has not seen Double Overdraft in these four years and moving a step forward, during the current fiscal year i.e. 2020-21, despite the drastic impacts of lockdown on account of COVID-19 pandemic, the State met all its commitments without witnessing the Overdraft for even a single day. Supplementing this, the State has started investing in the Consolidated Sinking Fund to pre-emptively mitigate the rollover risk or reinvestment risk and Rs. 1,168 crore has been invested in Consolidated Sinking Fund upto February 2021. The measure shall also be useful for the State to retire its high-cost debts or retire its loss making/high liabilities enterprises in the medium term.

18.                 Sir, under the able leadership and concerted efforts of the Hon’ble Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh Ji, the 15th Finance Commission, in its final report for 2021-26, has acknowledged the view-points put forth by the State and has recommended an increased share of 1.807% in the devolution of net proceeds of taxes for the State of Punjab which was earlier 1.577% for 14^th FC period 2015-20. This increased share of 0.23%  shall  fetch  an  additional  amount  of Rs. 1,531 crore in 2021-22 BE into the State kitty. I, on behalf of my Government and my State would again like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Chairman

and the Members of the 15^th Finance Commission for giving due consideration to the State’s submissions while making their  recommendations. The Government of India has accepted these recommendations of the 15^th Finance Commission for the period 2021-26.

19.                 Mr. Speaker Sir, the efforts of the present Government in bringing the fiscal consolidation has been duly recognised and brought on record by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India in its Report for the year ended 2019 laid before this august House in the present session. I would like to take this opportunity to verbatim re-produce the comments of CAG made in the executive summary- “The State is on a fiscal correction path….”.

FISCAL ROADMAP

20.                 Mr. Speaker Sir, we fervently hope to overcome quickly from the adverse impact on the economies witnessed in this darkest year of the century and be back again on the path of growth trajectory during the coming fiscal year 2021-22. I am, therefore, proposing 1^st July 2021 as the effective date of implementation for the various welfare measures that I will be announcing during my Speech.

21.                 Sir, I have estimated the State’s Total Revenue Receipts (TRR) at Rs. 95,258 crore in 2021-22 BE i.e. an increase of 32% over Rs. 72,042 crore in 2020-21 RE comprising of the State’s Own Tax Revenue (OTR) of Rs. 37,434 crore and Rs. 7,758 crore of State’s Non-Tax Revenue in 2021-22 (BE).

22.                 The State’s Total Expenditure is projected to be at Rs. 1,68,015 crore in 2021-22 BE which is an increase of 9% and 20% over 2020-21 BE and 2020-21 RE respectively.

23.                 The budgetary estimates for State’s Revenue Expenditure are Rs. 1,03,880 crore in 2021-22 BE i.e. an increase of 12% over 2020-21 RE. The total

Committed Expenditure of the State is expected to grow by Rs. 59,796 in 2021- 22 BE, which includes Expenditure on Salaries, Wages and Grant-in-Aid (salary) of Rs. 27,714 crore; Pensions of Rs.  11,767  crore  and  Interest  Payments  of Rs. 20,316 crore.

24.                 Sir, your Government will be in the forefront of re-energising the State economy through its focus on creation of Capital assets during the next financial year 2021-22 and a budget estimate of Rs. 14,134 crore for CAPEX has been provided, which is, 8.41% of Total Expenditure.

25.                 The poor fiscal management of the previous Government is also borne in the fact that the Revenue Deficit (RD) of the State increased from Rs. 5,289 crore in 2010-11 to Rs. 7,311 crore in 2016-17, which is much worse if we take into account the lapsed bills of Rs. 7,791 crore. Had the said bills been paid, the Revenue Deficit would have been Rs. 15,102 crore. The Revenue Deficit of the State as a percentage of GSDP stood at 1.7% for 2016-17 as against 2.3% in 2010-11. However, taking into consideration the lapsed bills amounting to Rs. 7,791 crore, the Revenue Deficit as a percentage of GSDP would had been 3.5% in 2016-17.

26.                 During the reign of the present government, the Revenue Deficit as a percentage of GSDP stood at 2.01% in 2017-18; 2.50% in 2018-19 and 2.49% in 2019-20. Though it seems to be on higher side, the primary reason for increase has been on account of CCL Interest liability of Rs. 2,439 crore, Rs. 2,370 crore and Rs. 2,295 crore, respectively. The State till March 2021 have paid a whopping Rs. 13,774 crore on account of servicing of the CCL gap taken over by the previous government. If the same is excluded, the Revenue Deficit as a percentage of GSDP would had been 1.49%, 2.05% and 2.09% respectively.

27.                 After taking into consideration the estimated receipts and expenditure for the coming financial year, the Revenue Deficit has been pegged at 1.42% of GSDP for 2021-22 BE as against 3.42% in 2020-21 RE.

28.                 The present Government, as a part of fiscal consolidation, has been able to maintain the Fiscal Deficit at 2.65% in 2017-18; 3.06% in 2018-19 and at 2.93% in 2019-20 as against 12.37% recorded in 2016-17. In accordance with the relaxations permitted by the Government of India in the 3% prescribed limit under the Punjab Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act, 2003, the Fiscal Deficit for the year 2020-21 RE has been pegged at 4.69% of GSDP and at 3.99% for the year 2021-22 BE.

29.                   During the COVID times though we have had challenging task of managing finances, I complement the efforts made by the Department of Food and Civil Supplies, Department of Industries and Department of Local bodies which have helped the Government in getting extra fiscal space to the extent of 0.75% of GSDP with the desired reforms in their respective sectors.

DEBT POSITION

Mr. Speaker Sir,

30.                   The Government, being cognizant of the State being in worse than a Debt Trap scenario, has laid a special emphasis on better debt and cash management through the formation of a dedicated Debt Management Unit (DMU). The State Government has successfully notified the rules for implementation of Punjab Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act, 2003 and has resolved to borrow funds to the extent of its net borrowing limit permissible under the FRBM norms. As a result, we have been able to continuously reduce the Debt/GSDP ratio from what we inherited i.e.  from 42.75% in 2016-17 to 41.45% in 2017-18 to 40.34% in 2018-19 and further

reduced to 39.90% in 2019-20. However, the outstanding debt as a percentage of GSDP will increase in 2021-22, primarily for the reason that the Government needs to increase its spending to bring a turn-around in the sluggish economy which has been further marred by the lockdown imposed on account of curtailment of COVID-19 pandemic. But I have attempted to limit my borrowing only to the extent of 4% permissible and required for this spinning effect.

31.                   The total outstanding  debt of  the state  as  on  31.03.2021 is projected at Rs. 2,52,880 crore which is 42% of GSDP for 2020-21 RE and the Outstanding Debt is likely to be Rs. 2,73,703 crore in 2021-22 BE which is 45% of GSDP.

Mr. Speaker Sir,

32.                   Before I present the proposals of my Government for the welfare of the residents of Punjab, I would like to present the steps taken by the government to contain COVID-19 pandemic. My government, led by the vision of Capt. Amarinder Singh Ji imposed a curfew/lockdown w.e.f. 23^rd March, 2020 in an attempt to minimize the harm that the dreaded virus may cause. However, the government took all steps to ensure that the harassment of the public is minimized. The District administration distributed 29 lakh food packets to the general public, plied special buses to bring back the people of the State stuck in other parts of the country including 4,000 pilgrims from Hazur Sahib (Nanded) and more than 2,000 students from Kota, Rajasthan. We spent Rs. 35 crore, i.e. 100% of the cost, to transport over 5 lakh migrant workers to their homes by requisitioning 375 trains. 725 special buses were pressed into service to transport more than 21,000 migrant workers back to their home. To provide succour to the vulnerable sections of our society, we ensured the release of Rs. 668 crore of monthly pension to more than 25 lakh beneficiaries and also issued the necessary instructions for release of provisional pensions through the treasuries till the regular pension of the employees retiring after 31.01.2020 are authorised by AG,

Punjab. A relief amounting to Rs. 174 crore @ Rs. 6,000 per worker was provided to about 2.9 lakh construction workers by my government while 3 lakh MGNREGS workers earned Rs. 115 crore through the employment created under the scheme. My Government also authorised all the Sarpanches and Presidents of Urban Local Bodies to provide emergency relief to the poor and needy persons including food and medicines upto Rs. 50,000 out of Gram Panchayat or ULB funds. PSPCL, through various interventions including deferment of payment of electricity bills/payment in instalments, 1% rebate on current energy bills, deferment of fixed charges, waiver of extension charges and non-revision of security, meter reading on trust and no disconnection due to non-payment of bills during the period of lockdown, provided a relief of around Rs. 500 crore to its consumers.

33.                   May, I, now place an overall synopsis of the allocation proposed in various sectors in the present budget before the august House. An allocation of Rs. 7,856 crore has been proposed to expand, strengthen and upgrade our Health Infrastructure while an allocation of Rs. 17,051 crore is proposed for the welfare of the backbone of our society- the Farmers. Rs. 6,827 crore will be spent for the welfare of weaker and vulnerable sections of our society. I also propose an outlay of Rs. 16,302 crore for educational sector and for generating opportunities for our youth. Sir, the government needs to enhance its spending to revive and re-invigorate the economy and therefore, I propose an  enhanced allocation of  Rs. 16,557 crore to strengthen our Rural, Urban and other infrastructure.

HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

Mr. Speaker Sir,

34.                   I would like to place on record my sincere gratitude to our Healthcare workers including Doctors, Nursing staff, Lab technicians, Ward attendants, Drivers etc who have done a yeoman’s job in providing various healthcare services during COVID-19 pandemic and whose contribution to the community has been beyond measure and can neither be described in words fully nor justified in words appropriately. The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has only underscored the importance of health infrastructure and related services. To strengthen our health infrastructure and make it ready to handle any eventuality, I propose to allocate Rs. 3,822 crore for Health & Family Welfare for the year 2021.

FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19 PANDEMIC- MISSION FATEH

35.                   A special Mission, “Mission Fateh” was launched by Hon’ble Chief Minister to create awareness amongst people regarding prevention of spread of pandemic. The Mission envisaged a large number of IEC/BCC activities through print media, video spots on TV channels, social media, outdoor media like hoardings, banners etc. and dissemination of subject specific State Advisories including use of face mask, social distancing, and opening of schools, colleges and Universities, operations in Mandis etc.

36.                   The Government constituted various committees and expert groups including State Steering Committee; State Task Force; District Task Force; Block Task Force to monitor & support the different aspects of COVID-19 management. The Committees have been convening their meetings regularly and strategizing our fight against COVID-19. Furthermore, specialists from medical

colleges have also made valuable contributions to the tertiary care treatment in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

37.                   All investigations, treatment and other facilities are being provided free of cost to COVID-19 patients in all the Government hospitals. Even in case of an emergency when a patient is referred to private hospitals, the cost is borne by the Government. Further, 7 State Government Laboratories with a capacity of conducting 25,000 tests per day have been set up.

38.                   I am pleased to inform that we have made available 8,000 hospital beds at all Level II hospitals, 1,500 ICU beds & 855 ventilators at Level III facilities in Government Medical Colleges of Patiala, Amritsar, Faridkot & District Hospitals of Ludhiana & Jalandhar. Also, isolation wards with 1,494 beds were set up in three government medical colleges. These wards have 272 ICU beds, 225 ventilators, 50 HFNO and PPP kits/medicines and oxygens gas, food arrangements, ambulances etc. are provided on requirement basis.

39.                   The Government has set up 3 plasma banks at the 3 Government Medical Colleges to provide plasma, free of cost, to all the Government and private hospitals.

40.                   The Government has, so far, spent around Rs. 1,000 crore on curtailment and management of COVID-19 pandemic on the above-mentioned interventions and on the procurement of essential material like 108.80 lakh Triple Layer Mask, 3.54 lakh PPE kits, 12.05 lakh Rapid Antigen Kits, 1.60 lakh ltr Hand Sanitizer, 70,000 ltr sodium hypochlorite 10%, 60,000 Corona Fateh kits, 17 ALS Ambulance, 110 BLS Ambulances for Front Line Workers, patients etc.

COVID-19 VACCINATION

41.                   As a major step towards combating the novel virus, we have pledged to provide free vaccination to every eligible beneficiary. Currently, the vaccine is

scheduled to cover priority groups including Health Care Workers (HCW); Front Line Workers (FLW); Elderly (above 50-year age) and Population below the age of 50 years with co-morbidities. There are about 2 Lakh beneficiaries each in the categories of HCW and FLW. About 63 lakh people over 50 years and 3 Lakh people below 50 years with co-morbidities would be covered. Data of 2.05 lakh HCW and 1.76 Lakh FLW, has been collected and uploaded on the COWIN portal.

42.                   729 Cold chain points have been identified in the State to ensure the efficacy of vaccine is duly maintained.

43.                   The Vaccination drive was launched on January 16^th across country starting with HCW and from February 2^nd, FLW are also being vaccinated. Around 74,286 HCW and 23,085 FLW have been vaccinated.

MISSION TANDRUST PUNJAB

44.                   Our Government has envisaged Mission Tandrust Punjab with the aim of making Punjab a healthy State by ensuring a good living environment, improving the air & water quality and promoting healthy practices. The Mission is being revamped to focus specifically on all the key 10 areas, designated as separate Sub-Missions, affecting human life and well-being which are: Health Soils, Safe Food, Preventive Health Care, Green Punjab, Road Safety, Khedo Punjab, Clean Water, Clean Air, Waste Management, and Paddy Straw Management. A budgetary outlay of Rs. 12 crore is proposed for this purpose.

FOOD SAFETY

45.                   I would specifically elaborate on two hitherto neglected Sub-Missions: Food Safety and Health and Wellness Centres. We plan to conduct extensive drives and campaigns in 2021-22 that would cover at least 50% food business operators for registration/licensing and improving hygienic rating especially in

case of halwai’s and milk producing plants. More emphasis will be given on training food business operators by undertaking various Information Education Communication (IEC) activities. We are also setting up a new microbiology lab at FDA Kharar for testing both food and drug/medicines for bio-safety measures and sterility.

46.                   We are also planning to implement Social Media campaigns through Twitter handle, Facebook page etc. covering new initiatives like Eat Right India, Trans Fat free food, “say no to fat” at schools, consumption of used oil for production of biodiesel etc.

HEALTH & WELLNESS CENTRES (HWCs)

47.                   In our bid to provide quality healthcare services to the patients at their doorstep, especially in rural areas, our Government had launched the Health and wellness Programme in the year 2019 whereby all the Sub-Centres of the State are being converted into Health & Wellness Centres in a phased manner. I am proud to share that the State of Punjab was ranked number 1 in operationalization of Health & Wellness Centres in August 2020. In aggregate, 2,046 Health & Wellness Centres have been operationalized in the State so far at an expenditure of Rs. 58 crore. The Rural Dispensaries shall be progressively converted into Health and Wellness Centres and the same shall be managed by the Health Department. About 70 Lakh patients have availed OPD services through these HWCs and 800 more such centres will be operationalized during 2021. 1.76 lakhs wellness sessions like yoga, health awareness sessions have been conducted by HWCs till date.

48.                   In March 2020, in wake of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,  our Government started telemedicine services in 400 HWCs to provide medical services to the people in rural areas and the centres were opened on all days from 8am to 6pm, including holidays. Till date, about 26,224 tele-consultations have

been done though e-sanjeevni/video calling.

49.                   27 medicines and 6 diagnostic tests are provided free of cost in all the HWCs.

HEALTH MISSION

50.                   Sir, expenditure on diseases has been identified as one of the major reasons for pushing the families into poverty. My Government is committed to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure of the common man on treatment of diseases. Medicines worth Rs. 85 crore have been supplied free of cost through the Government hospitals while an expenditure of Rs. 23.60 crore has been incurred by the government on providing free diagnostic test to the people during  2020-21.

51.                   I propose to allocate Rs. 65 crore for the construction of 8 New  Maternal and Child Health wings at Sub-Divisional hospitals of Talwandi Sabo, Nabha, Patti and Derabassi, District Hospitals of Muktsar and Gurdaspur and CHCs of Bhawanigarh & Raikot and Rs. 57 crore towards the completion of the construction work of the 9 Maternal and Child Health Wings proposed in our last year’s budget.

52.                   In addition to above, Rs. 55 crore is being provisioned to provide for additional beds at the existing MCH wings at District Hospitals of Ludhiana, Faridkot, Hoshiarpur, Bathinda and Barnala with a target of completing atleast 50% by March 2022. Also, Rs. 11 crore has been provisioned for construction of 3 new Drug warehouses of 1,500 sqm each at the MCH Wings in Hoshiarpur, Ferozepur & Sangrur.

53.                   Out of the 2,046 HWCs, upgradation of 409 HWCs has successfully been completed and for the upgrading the infrastructure of remaining HWCs, an allocation of Rs. 134 crore is proposed for 2021-22.

54.                   Sir, a total allocation of Rs. 1,060 crore is proposed under the Health Mission for the year 2021-22.

AYUSHMAN BHARAT – SARBAT SEHAT BIMA YOJANA (AB-SSBY)

55.                   Our Government had launched the Ayushman Bharat – Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana (AB-SSBY) on 20th August 2019 and it is successfully running in its second year. The Scheme provides Cashless Health Insurance cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year to 39.57 lakh families of Punjab, that include families of smart ration card holders, SECC families, J-form holder farmers, construction workers, small traders and accredited and yellow card holder journalists. More than 55 lakh individual e-cards have been generated to extend the benefits of this scheme to the entitled families. An allocation of Rs. 324 crore has been provided for this purpose during 2021-22.

56.                   Despite the disruption caused by the COVID-19 induced lockdowns,

5.87 lakh cashless treatments worth Rs. 657 crore have been provided to the entitled beneficiaries, against the premium amount of Rs. 418.74 crore paid to the Insurance Company. On an average, 1,500 patients are getting treated every day under the Scheme. Dedicated Arogya Mitras have been deployed in all 851 empanelled hospitals for assistance and facilitation of cashless treatment to the patients.

57.                   A beneficiary feedback portal has been launched in 2020-21 to seek the feedback and increase the participation of the beneficiaries of the scheme. District Performance scorecards is under development for fortnightly assessment of the district on various service parameters with an overall objective to enhance the satisfaction level of the beneficiaries.

UPGRADATION OF HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE

58.                   Our Government strongly feels that while it is important to develop and set up new infrastructure, it is equally important to upgrade the existing infrastructure to ensure effective delivery of best quality and latest services to the people of Punjab. Accordingly, I propose to allocate Rs. 100 crore towards the repair and renovation of the District Hospitals, Sub-Divisional Hospitals and CHCs including Barnala, Dharamkot, Chamkaur Sahib etc. and aim to complete 40% by March 2022.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE SERVICES (108 AMBULANCE)

59.                   Our Government proposes to increase the number of vehicles from 240 to 400 for better reach in the State and this will help in reducing the waiting time for emergency patients. The average response time would be 15 minutes in Urban Area and 20 minutes in the Rural Area. Also, 24×7 real time live monitoring of all the ambulances with visual map of ambulance location and movement with advanced central IT Dashboard and MIS System will help in supervising for smooth and efficient functioning. One Advanced Life Support Ambulance equipped with ventilator, Multi-Para Patient Monitor, Defibrillator and Suction Machine has been provided in each district for better management of emergencies.

MUKH MANTRI PUNJAB CANCER RAHHAT KOSH SCHEME

60.                   Under this scheme, every resident of Punjab suffering from cancer is assisted in the form of cashless treatment upto Rs. 1.50 lakh per patient in 19 empanelled hospitals. A financial assistance of Rs. 374.43 crore has been released to 26,878 cancer patients from January, 2017 to December, 2020 under the scheme. A budget provision of Rs. 150 crore has been provisioned during 2021-22 for this purpose.

MEDICAL EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

MEDICAL COLLEGES

61.                   Medical Education and Tertiary Health Care are amongst the most important elements of our government’s plan for the well-being and development of Punjab. I propose an allocation of Rs. 1,008 crore for promoting Medical Education and Research which is 85% more than the allocation to the sector during 2020-21 RE.

62.                   Institute Building at Government Medical College, Patiala is being furnished to take care of the increased MBBS seats. Renovation of all the wards, construction of multi-level parking and water supply and sewerage work at Rajindra Hospital, Patiala are nearing completion and renovation of wards, lecture theatre hall, examination hall and TB Hospital at Medical College, Amritsar is also being done. A new hospital for Mother & Child Care, costing Rs. 15 crore has been set up at Guru Gobind Singh Medical College, Faridkot.

63.                   An allocation of Rs. 92 crore has been proposed in budget 2021-22 for upgradation of the infrastructure of Government Medical College Patiala including modification and air-conditioning of Emergency-cum-Trauma Centre and Modular OT Complex; air-conditioning of Emergency Block; replacement of 2 elevators and well-equipped modern Centre Lab in Rajendra Hospital, Patiala; Multi-storey houses for staff nurses, Class III and Class IV and Special Repair of Doctor’s hostel.

64.                   To further solidify our Government’s plans with regards to medical education and research, a Government Medical College at Mohali is being set up at total cost of Rs. 189 crore. The renovation work of the building and hospital of Medical College Mohali- upgradation of the existing District Hospital, SAS Nagar, amounting to Rs. 16 crore and increase in the bed capacity of the hospital

from 180 to 300 beds along with necessary amendments in the hospital building has been completed. The State Institute of Health & Family Welfare (SIHFW) Building has also been renovated and remodelled for the administrative block of the new Medical College and thus the infrastructure has been made available to start MBBS classes during 2021-22. Medical College Mohali, named as Dr. B.R. Ambedkar State Institute of Medical Sciences, will be started during the year 2021. The staff for the college is being recruited.

65.                   Similarly, new medical college in Gurdaspur and Malerkotla will be set- up post approval of Government of India.

66.                   I also propose to set up new medical college and Hospital namely Sri Guru Nanak Dev State Institute of Medical Sciences at Kapurthala and Shaheed Udham Singh State Institute of Medical Sciences at Hoshiarpur with a total expenditure of Rs. 650 crore and an initial allocation of Rs. 80 crore has been provided for this purpose in the Budget 2021-22. Furthermore, appropriate processes for the recruitment of faculty and staff for the new medical colleges have been initiated and appointments as per the norms of National Medical Commission will be made soon.

67.                   A unit of Tata Memorial Hospital, named Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (HBCHRC) at Mullanpur, Mohali is going to be completed with a cost of Rs. 450 crore and is likely to be operational from July, 2021 and the work for construction of State Cancer Institute, Amritsar at a cost of Rs. 39 crore and Tertiary Cancer Care Centre (TCCC) Fazilka at a cost of Rs. 16 crore are in progress. The construction of Tertiary Cancer Care Centre at Hoshiarpur will be taken up during 2021-22 and funds as required will be provided during course of the year.

68.                   Further, the 300-bedded PGIMER Satellite Centre at Ghabdan, Sangrur has already started the OPD Services and the construction for indoor services is in full swing, which will be completed during 2021-22.

69.                   Trauma Centre is being established at Government Medical College (GMC) Patiala, GMC Amritsar and GGSMC Faridkot at total cost of Rs. 42 crore, Rs. 93 crore and Rs. 12 crore, respectively.

VIROLOGY CENTRE

70.                   Our Government is planning to set up a separate Virology Department at GMC Amritsar and shall enhance the facilities of viral testing, teaching & research related to Virology. Further, we also propose to establish Regional centre of National Institute of Virology at Mohali in collaboration with ICMR/Government of India.

INTEGRATED CHILD DEVELOPMENT SCHEME

71.                   I am pleased to allocate Rs. 825 crore during 2021-22 for “Integrated Child Development Scheme” aimed at providing supplementary nutrition to almost 12 lakh children and pregnant women & lactating mothers. An additional amount of Rs. 53 crore has been earmarked under POSHAN Abhiyan to improve the nutritional status of newborn babies, children up to 0-6 years, adolescent girls, pregnant women & lactating mothers and reduce malnourishment in a time-bound manner.

WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION

HAR GHAR PAANI, HAR GHAR SAFAI

72.                   The Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India, has under the Jal Jeevan Mission, fixed a target to provide piped water connections to all rural households by the year 2024. However, I am pleased to share that under the

able guidance of our respectable Chief Minister, who is the Chairperson of the State Water and Sanitation Mission, 99.5% of the rural habitations of Punjab have already been covered with piped water supply. Till date, we have been able to provide potable piped water supply connections to 24.86 lakh rural households, with over 7 lakh connections being added this year itself despite the Covid-19 induced lockdowns. The total coverage of rural households with piped water supply today stands at 71% and now the focus of my Government is to ensure that potable piped water reaches each and every rural household by March, 2022.

73.                   Also, I am pleased to inform that the Government has ensured clean drinking water and toilets in all the schools and anganwadis of the State, thus, making Punjab the first State in the country to provide piped water supply to all its rural schools.

74.                   An allocation of Rs. 2,148 crore has been provided during 2021-22 to achieve the targets of piped water supply and potable water for all which is an increase of 25% over 2020-21 RE of Rs. 1,721 crore.

SAFE DRINKING WATER

75.                    While our government is focussed on long term potable source sustainability for all quality affected 1,634 habitations in the State, it is also committed to providing immediate mitigation measures for drinking water in the quality affected habitations.

76.                    During 2020-21 till date, 6.17 lacs households have already been provided individual piped water connections. Further, 100% saturation has been ensured in 6,394 habitations (4,884 villages), 14 blocks and 3 districts. Further, we propose to undertake 1,430 habitations including 216 quality habitations to be covered during 2021-22 for augmentation of existing water supply schemes

with an estimated expenditure of Rs. 1,072 crore.

77.                    The Government has made a policy shift from providing ground water-based to surface water-based scheme, especially in water quality affected and water scarce areas of the State. Accordingly, a scheme covering 39 villages affected by iron in their ground water in Nurpur Bedi Block of district Rupnagar has been commissioned in 2019 at a cost of Rs. 25 crore. Further, another multi- village surface water supply project covering 85 villages in the uranium affected blocks of Bagha Purana and Nihal Singh Wala of district Moga has recently been commissioned at a cost of Rs. 218.56 crore. The 50 MLD Water  Treatment Plant would provide 24×7 potable water to 68,839 households having a population of 3.64 lakhs.

78.                   As announced in the Budget of 2020-21, the work has started on 3 new large multi-village surface water supply schemes in the fluoride affected areas of districts Patiala and Fatehgarh Sahib at a cost of Rs. 383 crore covering 408 villages, 87,564 households with a population of 4.95 lacs and these projects are likely to be completed by December, 2022.

79.                    Further, to provide sufficient quantity and good quality water, surface water supply projects would be undertaken in the rural villages of the districts Ferozepur, Fazilka, Hoshiarpur and Roopnagar suffering from shortage of ground water and water quality problems. A total of 5 projects covering 673 villages with an estimated expenditure of Rs. 911 crore would be executed during 2021-22.

MONITORING OF WATER QUALITY INFRASTRUCTURE

80.                    For the arsenic affected villages where it is not feasible to reach surface water, inline Arsenic and Iron Removal Plants (ARIPs), based on Nano- material arsenic adsorption technology of IIT Madras, are being installed to

ensure sustained potable water supply to these villages. A MoU has been signed with IIT Madras for the same. These AIRP plants will have IOT based sensors to remotely monitor flow and quality of water supplied. 121 AIRPs serving 155 arsenic and 1.6 lakh population in the border districts of Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur have been commissioned at a cost of Rs. 29.77 crore and work on 67 AIRPs serving 81 villages at a cost of Rs. 30.81 crore is in progress. These projects will be completed by June 2021.

81.                    Further, as a short-term measure aimed to be completed by April 2021, a project worth Rs. 4.85 crore has been commissioned to provide decentralized individual households purification units based on the nano-material based adsorption technology of IIT Madras, to all 20,000 households of 54 border villages with high arsenic concentration in their ground water (more than 50 ppb) and also, 106 fluoride affected villages are being provided community- based RO plants at a cost of Rs. 10 crore.

82.                    A “Water Quality Monitoring Policy” has been notified for the State and in order to meet the objective of regular water testing of water supply sources and the water quality testing infrastructure in the State is being upgraded at a cost of Rs. 14 crore.

83.                    Also, a high tech-multi district lab, capable of testing heavy metals, has successfully been established at Amritsar with an investment of Rs. 5 crore and the other 3 multi district laboratories at cost of Rs. 4 crore are being set up at Hoshiarpur, Sangrur and Moga and are likely to be operational by June, 2021. 24 sub-divisional labs are also being upgraded.

MAINTENANCE OF EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE

84.                    During this year, 141 new tube wells have been installed against failed tube wells and an allocation of Rs. 40 crore is proposed for this purpose in

2021-22. The State shall also utilize tied funds available under 15th Finance Commission Grants for this purpose.

85.                    A project costing Rs. 16 crore has been prepared for providing upgraded water supply facilities in Faridkot City. In Phase-I, the work for construction of water treatment plant and laying down of pipeline etc. is in process at a cost of Rs. 8 crore. Besides, the sewerage facilities in Sri Anandpur Sahib will also be upgraded at an estimated cost of Rs. 7 crore.

RURAL SANITATION PROGRAMME

86.                               All the rural areas of Punjab were declared Open Defecation Free in March, 2018. Further, in order to implement the phase-II of Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin), the Government is now undertaking various activities such as Solid & Liquid Waste Management, Community Sanitary Complex (CSC), toilets in schools and anganwadi centres etc. An allocation of Rs. 400 crore has been provided for this purpose during 2021-22.

87.                    The government has provided Rs. 863 crore till date to incentivise 5.75 lac rural beneficiaries to construct individual household toilets in order to make Rural Punjab Open Defecation Free and also released Rs. 33 crore in 2020-21 to 1,545-gram panchayats for constructing 1,557 Community Sanitary Complexes at a cost of Rs. 2.10 lac per Community Sanitary Complex (CSC).

FARMERS WELFARE

AGRICULTURE

88.                   Well-being and prosperity of our farmers has been the central theme of our Government. We reiterate our whole-hearted commitment to our farmers for their just rights.

89.                     The State of Punjab has played a pivotal role in this great nation’s goal

of achieving the food security and is, thus, rightfully known as the “Breadbasket of India”. Punjab contributes about 19% of wheat, 11% of rice, 5% of cotton, 7% of milk and 20% of honey of the Nation’s total produce grown. However in a  true Punjabi spirits, when it comes to contributing to the central pool for distribution of foodgrains to the rest of the country, its share goes up to the extent of 27 % of rice and 32 % of wheat.

90.                   During the lockdown imposed on account of COVID-19 pandemic, when all the other economic sectors were witnessing negative figures, the agricultural sector showed a positive trend and contributed to Punjab’s quick recovery.

91.                   Our Government has taken several steps to further boost the agricultural production and as a result of these concerted efforts, the total food grain production in the state stood at 30.76 million metric tonnes during 2019-20. Despite COVID-19, the State procured record 202.78 LMT of paddy during Kharif and 127.11 LMT of wheat in 2020-21.

FREE POWER TO FARMERS

92.                   Our Government during the past four years has provided free power to

14.23 lakh farmers amounting to Rs. 23,851 crore and resolves to continue to provide free power to farmers. An amount of Rs. 7,180 crore has been provisioned in 2021-22 in this regard for this purpose alone.

DEBT RELIEF TO FARMERS AND FARM WORKERS

93.                   My Government, under the able stewardship of Capt. Amarinder Singh Ji had launched its flagship programme “Crop Loan Waiver Scheme” under which a debt relief to 5.83 lakh small and marginal farmers having loan upto Rs. 2 lakh has been provided. A debt amounting to Rs. 4,624 crore has already been waived off under the scheme. Out of these, debt relief to 3.19 lakh marginal

farmers and 1.26 lakh small farmers amounting to Rs. 2707.12 crore has been given to members of the Cooperative Banks. The Government will be waiving  off the loans to the extent of Rs. 1,186 crore of 1.13 lakh farmers and Rs. 526 crore of landless farm workers in the next phase during 2021-22, for which necessary allocation of Rs. 1,712 crore has been proposed.

KRISHI VIKAS YOJNA

94.                   The Government has been providing incentives to draw-up and execute comprehensive agriculture development plan. Our Government, as promised, has established the Veterinary College at Rampura Phul. The first-year batch of B.V.Sc. & A.H. classes is being conducted in the newly constructed wing of the college. I propose an allocation of Rs. 200 crore in 2021-22 for ensuring more inclusive and integrated development of agriculture and allied services.

SAVE WATER, SAVE PUNJAB

PANNI BACHAO PAISA KAMAO

95.                    With an objective of motivating the farmers to cultivate diversified crops, improve the efficiency in water usage and to bring transparency in subsidy disbursal, a pilot of Direct Benefit Transfer of Electricity (DBTE) under the banner of “Panni Bachao Paise Kamao” scheme on 6 feeders was launched. The Government has paid Rs. 81.90 lakh to 972 farmers during 2019-20. In the second phase, the scheme has been extended to 250 feeders in 11 districts and during 2020-21 about 4% farmers have been registered. A budgetary provision of Rs. 10 crore has been made for 2021-22.

COMMUNITY UNDERGROUND PIPELINE PROJECT

96.                    For conservation of conveyance losses of precious water for irrigation, Community Underground Pipeline Projects have been installed by providing 90%

capital assistance for conveying irrigation water from canal outlets to 7,669 hectares of tail-end farmers of the State. Farmers have been assisted through technical as well as financial assistance of 50% for laying of the underground pipeline for judicious use of water in Tubewell commands in 1,704 hectares. Under this scheme, 48,742 km long pipeline has been laid to benefit 5.13 lac hectares of area. I propose an allocation of Rs. 100 crore in this regard during 2020-21.

97.                    Also, work has been started on a new project for Utilization of treated water for Irrigation purposes from the sewerage treatment plants through the assistance of NABARD and an amount of Rs. 40 crore has been earmarked for this purpose during 2021-22.

AGRICULTURE DIVERSIFICATION

CROP DIVERSIFICATION

98.                    During 2020-21, as a result of our sustained diversification efforts, basmati on an area of 6.60 lac hectares has been sown. Further, a massive campaign has been launched for producing residue-free Basmati and to discourage/reduce the use of pesticides during the kharif, leading to an increase in the export potential of Basmati from Punjab. This would ultimately pass on the benefit to the farmers in terms of better price realization for Basmati. Farmers growing basmati can also know the traceability of the produce by registering on a dedicated website for this purpose.

99.                    Under the Agmark scheme, commodities like honey, desi ghee, vegetables oils, ground spices, wheat flour and besan are graded and packed. During 2020-21 about 3,596 quintals of these commodities were graded and estimated price of these commodities was Rs. 6.55 crore.

100.                To shift the cropping area from wheat and paddy to market oriented productive farming of fruits and vegetables based on sustainable Agro-practices, an integrated facility for fruits and vegetable is being set up by Punjab Agri Export Corporation Ltd. at Abohar at a cost of Rs. 7 crore. During 2021-22, an amount of Rs. 200 crore has been allocated for undertaking Crop Diversification measure.

KAMYAAB KISAN KHUSHAAL PUNJAB (K3P)

101.                It is the need of the hour to strengthen our agricultural sector in all its dimensions- for providing livelihood security to the farmers and food and nutritional security to our countrymen alongwith improvement in the sustainability of State Agriculture. While the proud Punjabi Kisan put his blood and sweat to increase the productivity and production for the nation, today the call of duty has changed. We also owe it to our future generations, as they say, you do not inherit from your ancestors’ but ‘borrow it from your future generations’. The entire effort of my Government shall now be to promote “sustainable agriculture” and “farmers’ prosperity”

102.                For this purpose, our Government proposes to launch a new umbrella program “Kamyaab Kisan Khushaal Punjab” (K3P) during 2021-22, with an outlay of Rs. 3,780 crore to be implemented during the next three years. To kickstart this program, an outlay of Rs. 1,104 crore has been earmarked for the 2021-22. The program is being introduced with the aim of improving the income of those dependent on agriculture on a sustainable basis while preserving the ecological balance for the future generations. The Government intends to converge various development schemes for providing end-to-end support to the farmers. Some of the key initiatives proposed to be undertaken under the K3P Program in 2021-22 are outlined below:

i.    A centre of excellence for vegetables at Village Gobindgarh in district

Fazilka at a cost of Rs.10 crore.

ii.     To facilitate the farmers with modern technology and technical knowhow under one roof, our government proposes to set up 25 Horticulture Estates in the State with atleast one Estate in each district in the next five years. During 2021-22, Five new Horticultural Estates at a cost of Rs. 80 crore are proposed to be set-up.

iii.     Postgraduate Institute of Horticulture Research and Education (PGIHRE) in Amritsar is being established and shall be made functional during 2021-22. An outlay of Rs. 24 crore has been earmarked for this.

iv.    For the distribution of Mobile Vending Carts to the farmers for self- marketing of their horticulture produce, an amount of Rs. 9 crore is being allocated.

v.    For fixing the Base price for Horticulture Crops and payment of deficiency price as compensation, two new schemes shall be introduced to mitigate the risk of producers.

vi.    A new program with a project cost of Rs. 480 crore “Comprehensive and Productive Use of Treated Wastewater from STPs in Sutlej, Beas, and Ghaghar river catchments” has been prepared for which an allocation of Rs. 150 crore has been made.

vii.    Agricultural Marketing Innovation Research and Intelligence Centre (AMIRIC) established at Kalkal Bhawan, Mohali (SAS Nagar), to assist the farmers in fetching better return for agriculture produce through marketing intelligence reports, will be provided an amount of Rs. 8 crore as a one-time corpus grant.

103.                While we have been successful in creating an “Ease of Doing Business” for the industry, we also realize the problems faced by the farmers in obtaining information, finding solutions to their day-to-day queries and getting benefits of various development schemes due to the multiplicity of government

departments dealing with agriculture and allied activities. To drive the “Kamyaab Kisan Khushaal Punjab” (K3P) program at the district level, it is, thus, proposed to set up Agriculture Development Bureau (ADB) at each district headquarter to provide all information to the farmers under one roof. Initially, it is proposed to set up such Bureaus in 3 districts on a Pilot Basis and thereafter, the program would be upscaled in the whole state.

HORTICULTURE

104.                In order to reduce dependence on wheat/paddy cycle and diversify the cropping pattern, our Government is laying special emphasis on horticulture, marketing of produce and food-processing for which I propose an allocation of Rs. 361 crore during 2021-22.

CROP RESIDUE MANAGEMENT

105.                Under the in-situ Crop Residue Management, a total of 50,815 residue management machines have been provided at subsidized rates to individual farmers and co-operative societies. An amount of Rs. 40 crore has been proposed for this purpose during 2021-22.

106.                To prevent stubble burning, the State Government in 2018-19 has distributed 11,237 and 418 number of agriculture implements under 80% and 40% subsidy to Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACS) in the State. In addition to this, 9 bailers at the cost of Rs. 28.76 lakhs were also distributed. Similarly, in 2019-2020, the State distributed 887, 36 and 9 number of agriculture implements under 80%, 50% and 40% subsidy respectively to the PACS.

107.                I am proud to announce that our Government has set up first-of-their- kind units for production of briquettes from paddy straw for large scale industrial use in Districts Moga and Patiala. The briquetting plants set up under this novel initiative would utilize 45,000 tonnes of paddy straw from around 35-

40 villages in their vicinity thereby providing revenue to the farmers and curbing stubble burning. The use of briquettes in industrial applications would result in GHG reduction of 70,000 TPA (eqv. to GHG sequestration capacity of 35 lakh trees).

108.                Our Government has also developed an android-based mobile application and dashboard with role-based login for field officers to provide end-to-end reporting and action taken for each fire incident captured via satellite. The burnt area due to paddy straw burning has been reduced by more than 5% in 2020 in comparison to 2019. Our Government in association with Society of Indian Auto Manufactures (SIAM), Indian Paryavaran Sahayak Foundation (IPS), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has carried out field trials of a microbial consortium on about 38 acres of farmland in the districts of Sangrur, Patiala, Ludhiana, Barnala & Ropar and this methodology has been showing encouraging results.

COOPERATION

CANE GROWERS

109.               Nine Cooperative sugar mills of the State have crushed 2.19 crore and

1.57 crore quintal of cane, achieving 9.94% and 9.29% sugar recovery in the year 2018-19 and 2019-20 respectively. The State Government provided financial assistance amounting to Rs. 200 crore to the sugarcane mills.

110.                A new sugar complex has been set up by the Government at Bhogpur to enhance the crushing capacity of the existing sugar plant from 1016 TCD to 3000 TCD with cogeneration project of 15 MW at a cost of Rs. 109 crore.

111.                As an addendum to above, we propose to establish the “Punjab Sugarcane Research Development Institute” at Kalanaur (District Gurdaspur) at a cost of Rs. 47 crore for the promotion of research & development activities and

providing training to farmers engaged in sugarcane cultivation. The first phase of this project shall be completed by December 2021.

112.                   An allocation of Rs. 300 crore is proposed for the year 2021-22 to provide support to sugarcane farmers in the State while an allocation of Rs. 60 crore is proposed for modernization and expansion of Sugar mills of Gurdaspur and Batala.

MILKFED

113.                The present Government has inaugurated a new milk powder plant at a project cost of Rs. 102 crore at Ludhiana which shall increase the handling capacity of Ludhiana Dairy from 4 LLPD to 9 LLPD.

114.                Despite tough competition, MILKFED stood by the milk producers and procured, on an average, 16.46 lakh kg milk per day during 2020-21. MILKFED has also launched Verka’s specialized cattle feeds & supplements like Pregnancy Feed, Calf Starter, Calf Growth Meal, Panjiri feed, Summer Feed etc. which have evoked good response among dairy farming community.

115.                An allocation of Rs. 10 crore is proposed to complete the Verka Mega Dairy Project at Bassi Pathana in 2021-22 that will process one million liters of milk per day.

PUNJAB STATE COOPERATIVE BANK

116.                A Debt Settlement Scheme was introduced by the Government on 02.12.2020 with a view to provide relief to the direct loan borrowers (other than indirect Agri loans) who have not been able to repay their dues in a timely manner. Under the scheme, out of the total 51,412 eligible beneficiary borrowers, 24,516 beneficiaries have been contacted. Out of these, 1,351 beneficiaries have deposited Rs. 10.49 crore. Further, 200 cases have been

settled amounting to Rs. 4.85 crore and relief has been provided.

PUNJAB STATE COOPERATIVE AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT BANK

117.               During the current year 2020-21, the Bank has advanced loans amounting to Rs. 30.48 crore. The government has also launched a loan restructuring scheme for the defaulter borrowers whereby the borrowers can re- cast the loan and pay in easy installments; waiving off of entire outstanding penal interest if the borrower pays 20% of his outstanding amount at the time of restructuring; the borrower will be eligible for a subsequent loan if he regularly pays 1/3 of the restructured loan amount. The scheme is expected to provide benefit to 10,000 farmers by 31.03.2021.

RURAL LINK ROADS

118.                There are 64,878 Km link roads in the State which facilitate the farmers in connectivity to the mandis/markets. Under the 2018-19 Repair Programme (Phase-I and II), 28,815 km length of roads have been repaired at a cost of Rs. 3,278 crore. Another Project for the repair of 6,162 km length of link roads is being implemented at a cost of Rs. 834 crore in 2020-21. In addition, 17,600 km length of Link Roads has been approved for repair with patch work at a cost of Rs. 82 crore and is expected to be completed by 30.06.2021.

119.                The narrow bridges/culverts falling on the link roads constructed earlier on rivers/drains which were in dilapidated condition have also been taken up for widening/remodeling/up-gradation. 962 such bridges/culverts are already being widened/upgraded at a cost of Rs. 216 crore. In the second phase, 582 Bridges/culverts at the cost of Rs. 185 crore are in the process of approval. We intend to complete the work on these by 31.12.2021.

120.                A special project at the cost of Rs. 500 crore to construct new link roads to the Basti’s of Scheduled Caste and poorer sections of the society,

shamshan ghats, places of worship, which do not have road connectivity presently, shall be undertaken in the rural areas during 2021-22.

ANIMAL HUSBANDRY

121.                           Livestock holds a special position in the Government’s efforts of doubling farm income, diversification and growth of rural economy. Our Government is providing the much-deserved impetus to this sector. A Multi- Specialty Veterinary Hospital and Regional Research Centre is being set up at the cost of Rs 62.14 crore at village Sappanwali, district Fazilka with the primary objective of providing multi-specialty Veterinary care services to the animals of Abohar and its adjoining areas and to promote value addition to animal production and enhance farmers’ income. An amount of Rs. 18 crore has been allocated in 2021-22 to expedite its completion.

122.                           Punjab has become the first State in the country for production of Cell Culture Classical Swine Fever vaccine at Punjab Veterinary Vaccine Institute, Ludhiana after signing a Material Transfer Agreement with IVRI, lzatnagar, Bareilly. Further, to protect livestock against contagious diseases, Punjab Veterinary Vaccine Institute, Ludhiana is being upgraded to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) as per the WHO Norms at a cost of Rs. 32 crore and an amount Rs. 20.22 crore has already been released for its upgradation during 2020-21.

DAIRY DEVELOPMENT

123.                Growth of milk production will be an area of special emphasis during 2021-22 and target will be to raise the production by 7% i.e. daily production of 425 lac liters with a marketable surplus of about 250 lac liters of milk. To ensure supply of quality milk to the people of the State, 775 camps for free testing of milk are proposed to be held in 2021-22. Further to motivate the

people to take up dairy farming, 150 village-level awareness camps and training at 9 Training & Extension Centres with special emphasis on Scheduled Caste beneficiaries are proposed to be conducted.

124.                Free Artificial Insemination is being conducted for 11 lakh eligible Buffalo and Cattle with quality semen under Nationwide Artificial Insemination Programme (NAIP) in all the villages of the State. The inseminated animals are being tagged with 12-digit ear tag and their data is being uploaded to National Data Base under Information Network for Animal Productivity and Health (INAPH) software.

125.                04 Holstein Friesians (HF) bulls at cost of Rs. 9 Lakh per bull have been imported under Rashtriya Gokul Mission from Germany and provided free of cost by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). Semen production from these bulls is expected to start within 24 months and in the first year around 8,000-10,000 semen straws production is expected. As a result, exotic germ plasm will be introduced into local gene pool resulting in up-gradation in genetic potential of the breed.

126.                Regional Research and Training Centre for Buffaloes, Patti, Taran Tarn with an objective to improve the Buffalo breeds through genetic improvement and to establish an elite herd of Buffalo, at a total cost of Rs.

20.47 crore is expected to be completed by 2022-23.

127.                With the objective of Conservation, Development and Propagation of elite indigenous breeds of cattle (Sahiwal & Gir), a state-of-the-art Indigenous Cattle Breeding Farm, Gokul Gram at BirDosanjh, Nabha has been established at a cost of Rs 12.84 crore. Also, Production of HGM bulls of Murrah, Nili- Ravi and Sahiwal under P.T. Murrah, P.S. Nili-Ravi & P.T. Sahiwal projects is being undertaken at the cost of Rs. 23.49 crore, Rs. 5.24 crore and Rs. 13.02

crore respectively.

FISHERIES

128.                Despite, COVID-19 pandemic and resultant lockdown, shrimp farming has been practiced in 156-hectare area resulting in shrimp harvesting of 788 tons as compared to 750 tons in 2019-20. In 2021-22, the State Government intends to bring additional 350-hectare area and 3,000-hectare area under shrimp and fish culture, respectively.

129.                In order to increase the availability of quality fish seed in the State, 5 fish seed farms are being established at Hoshiarpur, SBS Nagar, Ludhiana, Sangrur and Ferozepur and one new government fish seed farm has been initiated in village Killian Wali district Fazilka. A high fish production technology of re-circulatory aquaculture system has been introduced during the year 2019-20, which will expand to 8 units in the State during 2021-22.

FORESTRY & WILDLIFE

130.                Our Government is committed to provide much greener and safer planet to the coming generations. The Government from 2018 onwards, through various measures, has increased the Forest cover by 13,184 hectares.

131.                On the auspicious occasion of 400^th Parkash Utsav of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji, 400 saplings will be planted in each village of the State.

132.                The Government has launched Ghar-Ghar Haryali scheme in 2018-19 under which approximately 109 lac tree saplings have been supplied free of cost to various Institutes and to the public. A suitable allocation is being provided  for the same during 2021-22. Also, Rs. 223 crore has been allocated for PUNCAMPA funds for raising 60 lac plants during 2021-22. We intend to do plantation on 8,200-hectare area under Green Punjab Mission and PUNCAMPA

during 2021-22.

133.                I also propose an allocation of Rs. 7 crore in 2021-22 for Management and Development of Wildlife in the State.

WATER RESOURCES

134.            Punjab predominantly being an agrarian state has a large geographical area under cultivation. Taking cognizance of the immense strain on irrigation system and underground water resources by the present cropping pattern, the State Government is committed to increase the facility of canal water and the productivity of food grains. I propose an allocation of Rs. 3,214 crore i.e. an increase of 40% over 2020-21 RE for this purpose during the year 2021-22.

135.            I am delighted to state that our Government is announcing 29 new schemes pertaining to various canals with a total outlay of Rs. 452 crore to enhance the reach of canal facility in the State. Some of the major schemes being launched are Remodelling/Relining of Bathinda Branch M15 concrete from RD 3,90,000 to 4,48,000; Reconstruction of Boha-Dhundal System off taking at RD 179104/L with 10% enhanced capacity; Concrete Lining of Khanna Distributary System; Relining of Boha Distributary System with M15 Concrete from RD 0-18319; Rehabilitation of Sibian Disty System; Concrete lining of southern distributary system. An allocation of Rs. 142 crore for these schemes is being provided in this budget.

136.            In addition to the above new schemes, we are proposing to almost double the outlay to 18 major schemes linked to canals i.e. from Rs. 427 crore in 2020-21 RE to Rs. 897 crore in 2021-22. These projects include relining of approx. 100 km length of rehabilitation of Bist Doab Canal system; relining of 83 km Sirhind feeder and are expected to be completed by 2022 in addition to relining of 96 km of Rajasthan Feeder to be taken up during 2021-23.

LIFT IRRIGATION

137.            To provide irrigation facilities to villages Mohewal, Jhinjari, Tarapur and Thappal, the State Government has approved lift irrigation scheme at Sri Anandpur Sahib with a cost of Rs. 10 crore. The second Lift irrigation scheme at a cost of Rs. 15 crore for villages covered under Chak Suhelewala distributaries and Ramsar minor is in progress and is likely to be completed by 2021-22. Also, Rs. 15 crore is being provided for the Renovation and Modernization of Regulator structures on Canals that are currently under progress.

138.            The State proposes to undertake Concrete Lining Rehabilitation, Renovation and Modernization of Lahore Branch System of Upper Bari Doab Canal on 347.0 km in the districts of Gurdaspur and Amritsar which shall provide benefit to 150 villages falling under these districts. An allocation of Rs. 150 crore has been provided for this purpose in 2021-22.

FIELD CHANNELS

139.            Construction work of field channels of Kotla Branch Part-II Project at a cost of Rs. 477 crore is currently in progress and a budgetary provision of Rs. 100 crore is being provided during 2021-22 for completion of this project. Around 1.43 lac hectare area will be brought under better irrigation facilities with the implementation of this project. For the integrated project to address water logging problem in south-western districts of Punjab, an allocation of Rs. 50 crore has been provided for 2021-22.

140.            The government has released an amount of Rs. 48 crore under PMKSY by converging the schemes across departments i.e. Agriculture,  Water Resources, Rural Development during 2020-21. A suitable allocation has been provided for the same in the year 2021-22.

DRAINAGE

141.            A budgetary outlay of Rs. 100 crore is proposed for undertaking drainage works namely flood protection works to be executed along Indo Pak border on river Ravi and its tributaries Ujh to check erosion of culturable land, village abadies and defence installation; Canalization of Sakki/Kiran Nallah; Construction of flood protection works along left side and right side of River Beas in District Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur and Kapurthala; Swan River Flood management and integrated land development project from Santokhgarh bridge to its confluence point with river Satluj, district Roopnagar; Integrated Project to address water logging problem in South-Western districts of Punjab- ACA for Drainage.

SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT

142.            The Government is undertaking a number of steps to keep pace with new technology and to give a boost to R&D activities. I propose an allocation of Rs. 51 crore for Science & Technology in 2021-22 out of which Rs. 11 crore are for upgradation of space theatre of Pushpa Gujral Science City, Kapurthala.

PBTI-PPCP JOINT ENVIRONMENT RESOURCE CENTRE

143.            Government has made PBTI-PPCB joint Environment Resource Centre operationalised from 1^st January 2021 which provides advisory, skill building and technical support services to stakeholders including industry, government departments, pollution control boards etc for mitigating pollution and addressing environmental concerns. Our Government has also established a COVID-19 Testing Facility at Punjab Biotechnology Incubator.

EDUCATION

SCHOOL EDUCATION

144.               Sir, the good foundation of a society is laid on its sound educational system. My Government, since its inception in the office, has laid a special emphasis on all the issues- whether basic infrastructural amenities or experienced faculty members with an objective to assist our youth in attainment of their true potential. I am pleased to inform the august House that the State during these four years undertook construction of 6,984 Additional Classrooms, 292 Science Laboratories alongwith Lab equipment’s, 304 libraries and 319 Art & Craft rooms at a cost of Rs. 604.07 crore. In addition to above, furniture has also been provided for the students studying in primary classes i.e. from Class 1^st to 5^th and for 75,655 pre-primary students.

145.               The State, during the COVID-19 lock-down, undertook a special enrolment drive “Each one Bring One” to motivate the parents for admitting their children in Government schools. I feel contented to share that the enrolment from Pre-primary to Senior-Secondary level, due to this special drive, increased by 14.9% during the current year. It has been a record increase in enrolment in any single year.

146.               The State has been providing free Sanitary Pads to all the girl students studying from Class 6th to 12th in Government Schools. An allocation of Rs. 21 crore has been provided during 2021-22 for this purpose.

147.               Today, the teacher student ratio in the Government schools is 1:21 which is well within the norms under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009. The comparison with other states shows that the Punjab is one of the best States having a very favourable teacher student ratio.

148.               The State has also introduced English as a medium of instruction- as an

option in 14,957 Government Primary, Middle, High and Senior Secondary schools covering 3,71,802 students.

149.               An outlay of Rs. 11,861 crore has been earmarked for School Education for the year 2021-22.

MISSION SHAT PRATISHAT

150.               A State flagship- Learning Enhancement Program ‘Padho Punjab Padhao Punjab’ (PPPP) has been launched in all the government schools from class 1^st to 12^th to ensure age and class appropriate levels of learning of students in a time bound manner. The Annual Status Education Report (ASER) shows a significant improvement in the learning level of students of Punjab. The class 10+2 Board results for the year 2019-20 has improved to 96.95% from 88.36% in the year 2018-19 alone while the improvement has been by more than 28% over a period of previous three years.

MID-DAY MEAL

151.               During the large part of the year 2020-21, the schools remained closed due to lockdown imposed to curtail COVID-19 pandemic. The State Government ensured to provide foodgrains directly to 16.95 lac students at their doorsteps while the cooking cost has been deposited in their bank accounts with a total expenditure on Mid-Day meals being Rs 273.75 crore. I propose an allocation of Rs. 350 crore for this purpose in 2021-22.

PRE-PRIMARY AND PRIMARY EDUCATION

152.               Punjab is the first State to formally universalize the Pre-Primary education and the Pre-Primary classes have been started in all Government Primary Schools. As of now, 3.29 lac pre-primary students have been enrolled in Pre-Primary classes registering an increase of more than 40%. Further, the State government provided 14,010 tables and 70,050 chairs to Pre-Primary class

students and 24,145 Green boards & 41,000 dual desks to Primary schools. We intend to provide furniture to all the primary schools by 31.3.2021. Moving a step forward, an allocation of Rs. 50 crore has been provided for in 2021-22 for purchase of computers for Government Primary schools.

SCHOOL UPGRADATION

153.               Though access to elementary education has been ensured by the Government, the Government will notify a new “School Upgradation Policy” for upgradation to high schools and senior secondary schools to minimize the inconvenience to the students particularly the girl students. I propose a target of 250 schools to be upgraded w.e.f. the new academic session.

SMART SCHOOLS AND DIGITAL EDUCATION

154.               The State has notified a “Smart School Policy” and converted 9,604 Government Primary, Middle, High and Senior Secondary Schools into smart schools by providing projectors/LED for e-content, sound system, library/reading corner, CCTV camera, educational parks and computer lab etc. We intend to cover the remaining 9,490 schools in the coming year.

155.               Further, under this policy, a School Development Plan has been prepared with the active participation of the local community for holistic development of the school. The State Government contributes 40% of the total requirement of funds while the remaining 60% of the funds are being contributed by the community. During the current year alone, the community has contributed funds amounting to Rs. 159.73 crore (both in cash and kind).

156.               In order to promote digital education in the schools, the present Government has provided 16,589 classrooms (approx.54%) with e-Content and requisite digital infrastructure such as projectors, computers and LEDs. 1,75,443 students of class 12th studying in government schools have been provided Smart

Phones and 3,502 Tablets have been distributed to students and schools to facilitate e-learning.

157.               I propose an outlay of Rs. 140 crore for promoting digital education in 2021-22.

SMART PHONES

158.               The Government, as promised, has provided Smart Phones to 1,75,443 students studying in class 12^th in Government Schools at a cost of Rs. 87.89 crore. Sir, 1,31,189 students i.e. 75% of the beneficiaries of smart phones belong to Scheduled Caste category. The move has enormously benefitted the students in their online classes during the times of lockdown. An allocation of Rs. 100 crore is earmarked for this purpose during 2021-22.

CAREER AND GUIDANCE COUNSELLING

159.               We propose to launch a new scheme “Career and Guidance Counselling” to provide Career and Guidance Counselling to the students of 3,636 Government High and Senior-Secondary Schools during the year 2021-22. Suitable allocation has been provided for the same in the budget 2021-22.

HEALTH FOR ALL- STUDENTS

“A healthy mind resides in a healthy body”.

160.               Sir, to achieve the above objective, a special programme is being implemented by the Government for all the students studying in Government and Government-aided schools. The Students are screened for 31 diseases including birth defects, vitamin/mineral deficiencies, developmental delays, disabilities, etc and provided treatment free of cost.

i.   71 children have undergone surgery for heart ailments at PGI and empanelled Hospitals with an expenditure of Rs. 1.04 crore borne by the

Government during 2020-21.

ii.   15 children are undergoing treatment for primary immunodeficiency syndrome and an expenditure of Rs. 1.28 crore has been borne for treatment during 2020-21.

iii.   243 thalassaemic children have been provided free treatment and an expenditure of Rs. 6.43 crore has been borne by the government.

161.               Under the State’s Sports Policy, sports and physical activities have been made an inseparable part of school activities with the aim of fostering creative and other potentialities of our students. The State Government has disbursed in the year 2020-21, an amount of Rs. 18.16 crore to all Government Primary, Middle and High/Senior Secondary schools for providing sports equipment. Further, Rs. 6.36 crore and Rs. 2.64 crore has been provided to 498 schools for development of playgrounds and for the renovation of 45 Gymnasium Halls, respectively.

162.               During 2021-22, we shall also develop “Fitness Parks” in all the Government schools and playgrounds for atleast two games like Basketball, Kabaddi, Kho-Kho, Volleyball, Hockey, Football, Cricket, Badminton and Athletic Tracks in all the schools to encourage participation of students in sports as per the region-specific games. An outlay of Rs. 10 crore is proposed for development of playgrounds in the schools in the financial year 2021-22.

TEACHER RECRUITMENT

163.               Sir, our Government during these four years have undertaken/are undertaking recruitment of 22,734 Teachers and Education Administrators. Further, advertisement for recruitment of 8,184 teachers will be issued shortly. Also, during the last four years, we have regularized the services of 14,064 teachers who had been working on contractual basis for past 5 to 15 years.

164.               To bring transparency in the transfers of the employees (particularly the teachers), the State Government has notified and implemented the “Teacher Transfer Policy” that ensured transfers through an online software. As a next step, the State Government intends to enact the “Teacher Transfer Act” to make this Transfer Policy a permanent arrangement. Also, with a view to ensure availability of teachers in schools located in educationally disadvantageous areas and safeguard academic interests of the students of such areas, the State intends to enact a separate “The Punjab Education (Recruitment of Teachers in Disadvantageous Areas) Act”.

HIGHER EDUCATION

165.               Sir, my government is equally committed to quality education beyond the school education, and we shall be undertaking the following programmes to promote Higher Education.

GOVERNMENT COLLEGES

166.               A new Model Degree College in the aspirational district of Moga at village Fatehgarh Korotana is near completion and classes will commence in the ensuing academic session of 2021-22. 14 other colleges under construction and remainder work in 4 colleges i.e. University College, Barnala, Sujan Pur and Lamini, District Pathankot and Ladhupur College, District Gurdaspur will also be completed during 2021-22. Further, all new colleges initiated by the present government will be operationalised during 2021-22.

167.               A total allocation of Rs. 100 crore is proposed for the year 2021-22 for completing the ongoing constructions/renovation work in Government Colleges and both the State Universities.

168.               The State will also complete construction of Education College at Malerkotla and undertake repair works in the colleges at Zira and Kala Afghana

in the year 2021-22 for which a budgetary outlay of Rs. 9 crore has been provisioned.

169.               To meet the aspirations of the local community, a new college for girls will be constructed at Malerkotla. Suitable allocation as per the requirement of the department will be provided during the course of the year.

170.               Suitable provisions have been made in the budget 2021-22 for improvement of infrastructure in 6 Historical Government Colleges including a special grant of Rs. 7 crore for Nawab Jassa Singh Ahluwalia College, Kapurthala. Renovation and upgradation of Central State Library, Patiala will also be undertaken during the year 2021-22.

UCHCHTAR SHIKSHA ABHIYAN

171.               Under Phase-2, our Government is setting up six centres i.e. Centre for Sustainable Habitat; Centre for Basic and Translational Research in Health Sciences; Centre for Agriculture Research & Innovation; Development of IT Enabled Pedagogical Model for teaching and Learning; Development of Entrepreneurial Courses and Centre for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at a cost of Rs. 70 crore.

SETTING UP OF CENTRE ON SRI GURU GRANTH SAHIB

172.               I propose an allocation of Rs. 5 crore for setting up a Centre on Guru Granth Sahib at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar for the financial year 2021-22.

SETTING UP OF CHAIRS

173.               An allocation of Rs. 9 crore is proposed for the year 2021-22 to setup Maharana Pratap Chair; Maharaja Agarsain Chair; Shaheed Udham Singh Chair and Gurdial Singh Chair at Punjabi University, Patiala and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar

Chair; Satguru Ram Singh Chair; Sant Baba Prem Singh Ji Murale Wale Chair and Jalianwala Bagh Chair at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar.

PROMOTION OF PUNJABI LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

174.                 Our government is steadfast in its resolve to promote Punjabi language and heritage and culture of our State. As promised by the present Government, I propose doubling of the award money, which have not been revised since 2012, from Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 20 Lakh for the Punjabi Sahit Ratan Award and from Rs. 5 lakh to Rs.10 lakh for the Shiromani Award given to various genre writers, poets, musicians, journalists, etc.

175.               The State also confers 22 Sarvotam Sahitak Pustak Awards (Best Literary Book Awards) in Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi, Sanskrit languages relating to Punjabi culture, history and heritage every year. I propose to enhance the prize money of Best Literary Book Awards from Rs. 21,000 to Rs. 31,000. The State also confers the Best Printing Book Awards of Punjabi, Hindi & Urdu languages to the Publishers/Printer and I propose for increasing this award from Rs. 11,000 to Rs. 21,000.

176.               The Government also proposes to enhance the monthly pension from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 15,000 given to the needy elderly writers of Punjabi, Hindi & Urdu languages. Similarly, the financial assistance given to the dependent families of deceased writers of Punjabi, Hindi & Urdu languages is proposed to be increased from Rs. 2,500 per month to Rs. 15,000 per month.

177.               I also propose for doubling the financial assistance from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 20,000 (for a book with pages up to 100) & from Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 30,000 (for a book with more than 100 pages) given to the needy writers of Punjabi, Hindi & Urdu languages for getting their manuscripts published.

GRANTS TO UNIVERSITIES

178.               The Government has released grants to the tune of Rs. 933 crore to different universities and colleges in the State – viz; Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar; Punjabi University, Patiala; Punjab University, Chandigarh; Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana; Rajiv Gandhi National Law University, Patiala; 136 Private Aided Colleges; Government Arts Colleges; Government Professional Colleges; Punjab and Educational Tribunal during the year 2020-21. A budgetary allocation of Rs. 1,064 crore has been made in the budget 2021-22 for this purpose.

179.               I also propose a special grant of Rs. 90 crore for Punjabi University, Patiala to square up the debt liability created by the University. I sincerely hope that the University, after the grant, will again become an epitome of higher learning as it was known for.

180.               Our Government has established the Jagat Guru Nanak Dev Punjab State Open University at Patiala. The University has started functioning from its transit campus at Government Mahindra College, Patiala and is in the process of approval from the Distance Education Bureau, New Delhi. We intend to start admissions in the University in the ensuing academic session i.e. 2021-22. A suitable provision for the University has been kept in the budget 2021-22.

181.               Similarly, the Government has also established the Sri Guru Teg Bahadur State University of Law at Tarn Taran and the University has started functioning from its makeshift campus at Village Kairon, Tarn Taran. The admission process for the University has been initiated in the current year itself. A grant of Rs. 7 crore has been provided for the University in 2021-22.

SETTING UP OF INTERFAITH INSTITUTE IN GNDU

182.               The Government at an estimated cost of Rs. 432 crore is setting up an Interfaith Institute in GNDU to commemorate the 550th Birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji. The Institute shall have two divisions, namely Symphony of Religious Music and Academic Division and its administrative structure would be based on the pattern of Institute of Advanced Studies, Shimla.

SRI GURU TEG BAHADUR INSTITUTE OF HANDICRAFT, SATHIALA, BABA BAKALA AND SRI GURU TEG BAHADUR SCHOOL OF TEXTILE AND FASHION TECHNOLOGY, GNDU

183.               With the purpose of training a large number of youths to enhance their employability and to provide various avenues of social and economic upliftment to the rural region, we propose to set up Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Institute of Handicraft at GNDU Regional Centre, Sathiala, Baba Bakala. The vision of the institute is to invigorate the craft sector by bringing back to life the languishing crafts of Punjab and to become the centre of excellence in Crafts & Design. Similarly, it is proposed to set up a focused and integrated institute of Textile Technology i.e. Sri Guru Teg Bahadur School of Textile and Fashion Technology, GNDU. The school shall have three divisions of textile manufacturing, textile processing technology and textile apparel and fashion designing.

TECHNICAL EDUCATION

184.               The Government of Punjab recognises the importance of Technical Education as an engine of economic growth and a multi-pronged strategy has been operationalised to make the Technical Education System responsive to the needs and requirements of the Industry. A total budgetary outlay of Rs. 511 crore has been provided to promote the Technical Education during year 2021-22.

185.               Punjab, through Punjab State Board of Technical Education and

Industrial Training, is the first state in the country to implement the revised curriculum as per the guidelines of National Skill Qualification Framework with effect from the session 2018-19.

186.               With an objective of achieving qualitative improvement in the learning environment for training the manpower; increase employability; provide ready local pool of engineers, operators, technicians and skilled manpower for the industry and manufacturing sector, Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji Centre for Invention, Innovation, Incubation and Training (CIIIT) at I.K. Gujral Punjab Technical University (IKGPTU), Kapurthala has been established with the collaboration of TATA Technologies Limited. Also, a state-of-the-art 800 seats Auditorium equipped with LED projection Screen with facilities for live telecast of functions and video conference facility has been established at IKG PTU, Kapurthala.

187.               Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Institute of Management is proposed to be set up at IKGPTU, Kapurthala with an objective of achieving international-level quality in the field of Management Education. Indian Institute of Management, Amritsar has been requested to become the Mentor Institute for this purpose. Also, Dr.

B.R. Ambedkar Museum is proposed to be set up at IKGPTU, Kapurthala, wherein the biography and achievements of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar will be displayed.

188.               Chief Minister Scholarship Scheme has been implemented in Government Polytechnic Colleges wherein a rebate ranging from 70% to 100% on the tuition fees based on the performance of meritorious students is being provided resulting in increased admissions in Government Polytechnic Colleges.

189.               The State proposes to upgrade Beant College of Engineering & Technology, Gurdaspur and Shaheed Bhagat Singh State Technical Campus, Ferozepur as Universities during 2021-22 with suitable financial assistance.

INDUSTRIAL TRAINING INSTITUTES

190.               The Government, with an objective to hone the skills of trainees, has signed 43 MoU’s with industrial establishments such as Maruti Suzuki, Toyota, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter Private Limited, International Tractors Ltd (Sonalika), Swaraj Engines Limited, Vardaman Spinning Mill, Hyatt Regency, The Batala Co-op Sugar Mill Ltd., Vardaman Special Steel Ltd, Avon Cycles  Ltd, Godrej and Boyce Mfg. Ltd and Pepsu Road Transport, etc. The trainees will be able to get on-the-job training at these establishments and provide better job opportunities to the trainees in future. 2,978 trainees have been provided placement in 2020-21.

191.               During 2020-21, a new Industrial Training Institute at Ramteerath (Amritsar) has been started. For 2021-22, an allocation Rs. 8.27 crore is proposed for upgradation of Government ITI, Ludhiana into Model ITI and Rs. 20 crore for upgradation of infrastructure, machinery, equipment of exiting ITIs. Further, all ITIs initiated by the present government shall be operationalised during 2021-22.

WELFARE

SOCIAL JUSTICE, EMPOWERMENT & MINORITIES

192.               Having highest proportion of Scheduled Caste population in the country, Punjab accords a high priority to safeguard the interests of this vulnerable section of the society. I propose an allocation of Rs. 1,372 crore during 2021-22 i.e. an increase of 52% over 2020-21 BE of Rs. 901 crore under various welfare  schemes for educational, socio economic and other development programmes.

PRE-MATRIC SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME

193.               With the intention of minimizing the drop-out rate from elementary to secondary school, enhancing their performance and providing them with a better

chance of progressing to the Post-Matric stage of Education, I propose an allocation of Rs. 60 crore for the year 2021-22 so as to provide support to the parents of Scheduled Caste Children for the education of their wards studying upto 10^th class.

POST-MATRIC SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME

194.               Also, to provide students facing financial constraints and belonging to Scheduled Caste with better opportunities for higher education and enhance their employability, I propose an allocation of Rs. 750 crore for providing scholarship. 2 lakh students would be provided scholarship in the year 2021-22.

EMPOWERMENT OF WEAKER SECTIONS

195.               Sir, My Government also undertakes to fill the backlog of vacancies reserved for Scheduled Caste and Backward Classes in the various departments under the recruitments being made as a part of State Employment Plan 2020-22.

ASHIRWAD

196.               During 2020-21, the State Government has provided financial assistance of Rs. 120 crore to 57,142 number of SC beneficiaries and Rs. 45 crore to 21,428 BC/EWS beneficiaries. Under this scheme the Government has provided assistance of Rs. 21,000 to Scheduled Caste girls, daughters of widows of any caste at the time of their marriage and to Scheduled Caste widows/divorcees at the time of their re-marriage.

197.               Mr. Speaker Sir, as per the commitment made by the Hon’ble Chief Minister, I propose to enhance the assistance under Ashirwad Scheme from Rs. 21,000 to Rs. 51,000 w.e.f. 01.07.2021. An allocation of Rs. 250 crore has been provided in 2021-22 for this scheme.

PRADHAN MANTRI ADARSH GRAM YOJNA (PMAGY)

198.               PMAGY aims at to ensure all round integrated development of SC majority villages into model villages. Under Phase 1 and Phase 2, 824 villages  are being covered and Rs. 21 crore has been released for the same. An additional Rs. 6 crore has been released to 7 districts who have submitted the Village Development Plan (VDP). For providing basic minimum services like education, health, water supply, sanitation and disposal of sludge water and upgradation of infrastructure facilities in SC concentrated villages, I propose a sum of Rs. 95 crore for this scheme.

SOCIAL SECURITY & WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

199.               I am pleased to inform the august House that my Government with its strong commitment towards the welfare of elderlies, widows, orphan and people with disability has provided Social Security Pension amounting to Rs. 2,089 crore in 2019-20 and Rs. 2,277 crore in 2020-21, a three-fold of what was provided by the previous government in 2016-17 i.e. Rs. 747 crore. A total of 25.55 lakh beneficiaries including 13 lakh beneficiaries belonging to Scheduled Caste have been provided pension during the year 2020-21.

200.               My Chief Minister, as a part of his Governments commitment to the vulnerable section of our society, has directed to double the monthly pension from Rs. 750 to Rs. 1,500 with effect from 1.7.2021. Accordingly, we have allocated a budgetary outlay of Rs. 4,000 crore i.e. an increase of 72% over 2020- 21 BE of Rs. 2,320 crore.

WELFARE OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

201.               For safe and free movement of persons with disabilities, the State Government aims at providing a barrier-free environment. Free facility/half rates of fares of Punjab Roadways/PRTC Buses to blind Persons and other persons

with more than forty percent disability, is being provided by the State. To treat diseases related to spine of persons with disabilities, a Spinal Injury Centre is being run at Mohali. We are also providing attendance scholarship for girl students and health insurance for mentally retarded persons. Under the Attendance Scholarship Scheme, financial assistance in the form of scholarship will be provided to 4,000 students with disabilities. I propose an  allocation of  Rs. 163 crore for the financial year 2021-22.

202.               Sir, My Government also undertakes to fill the backlog of vacancies of the people with disabilities in the various departments under the recruitments being made as a part of State Employment Plan 2020-22.

PUNJAB DIVYANGJAN SHAKTIKARAN YOJNA (PDSY)

203.               Sir, there are 6.5 lakh Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in the State. A special scheme for the empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), the Punjab Divyangjan Shaktikaran Yojna (PDSY) shall be implemented all over the State. The scheme shall cover two parts namely, part one focusing entirely on providing all eligible PwDs the benefits of existing government schemes and Part two shall cover new initiatives/programmes that shall be taken by the Government to cover those aspects and needs, which have hitherto not been covered under any existing Centrally/State sponsored scheme or PwD-oriented schemes of different departments. A budget provision of Rs. 5 crore has been made for this initiative in the year 2021-22

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

JOB RESERVATION FOR WOMEN

204.               Our Government, as promised, has provided 33% reservation to Women in appointments to all categories of post of Government and Boards & Corporations and the Punjab Civil Services (Reservation of Posts for Women)

Rules have been implemented. The new rules will not only contribute towards women empowerment but also help in enhancing the self-esteem of women.

205.               I propose to set up Seven Hostel for working women in major districts of Punjab namely Jalandhar, Patiala, Ludhiana, SAS Nagar, Mansa, Barnala and Amritsar during 2021-22 thus providing safe accommodation to working women. An allocation of Rs. 50 crore has been provided for this purpose in the budget 2021-22.

MATA TRIPTA MAHILA YOJANA

206.               Sir, there are 7,96,030 women-headed households in the State. To effectively resolve the problems faced by such households, our Government will launch new initiatives and programmes to cover the uncovered aspects and needs under the existing schemes run by various departments of the State. A budget provision of Rs. 5 crore has been made for the year 2021-22.

FOOD, CIVIL SUPPLIES AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS

207.               It gives me pride to inform this august House that once again, in the times of crisis, our State has re-established that Punjab is the Food Bowl of this Nation. The State has contributed nearly 50% of the total wheat/rice distributed in the country under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) scheme.

SMART RATION CARDS

208.               33,63,950 chip based Smart Ration Cards have been distributed to beneficiaries benefitting economically weaker sections of the state for getting their quota of foodgrains by swiping on ePoS devices. Besides, Our Government has initiated process of identification of 9,48,801 beneficiaries under recently approved State Sponsored Smart Ration Card Scheme for the benefit of the

people who could not be included in National Food Security Act, 2013. The beneficiaries will be supplied 5 kg of wheat per person per month for which an allocation of Rs. 120 crore is being proposed.

SINGLE WINDOW SYSTEM

209.               The ‘Single Window System’ for issuing necessary clearances for installing new LPG outlets has been implemented in the State and the State Government has given 12,23,768 free LPG connections to women beneficiaries.

AADHAAR ENROLMENT

210.               Punjab is ranked 6^th in terms of overall Aadhaar saturation (100.9%) amongst all States/UTs. Over 3 crore residents have been issued Aadhaar numbers in the State and 300 tablets are being procured for deployment in Government Hospitals to ensure Aadhaar Enrolment of each new-born in the 0-5 target group. 350 Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification (STQC) devices are being procured for deployment in Sewa Kendras for providing Aadhaar related services to residents.

FREEDOM FIGHTER

211.               The State Government, as a tribute to our freedom fighters, proposes to increase the monthly pension from Rs. 7,500/- to Rs. 9,400/- w.e.f. 01.04.2021.

212.               The Government has issued notification exempting the freedom fighters and their Legal Heirs (children/grandchildren) from the toll tax on state highways on production of identity cards issued to them. Also, Freedom Fighters and their Legal Heirs (children/grandchildren) have been provided free bus travel facility  in Roadways/ PRTC buses.

LABOUR WELFARE

213.               Major reforms have been carried out by the State Government during 2020-21 in order to boost economy and generate more employment. The government has issued a notification under the “Punjab Shops and Commercial Establishment Act, 1958”, which will allow Shops and Commercial Establishment to remain open all 365 days of the year and for 24 hours.

214.               With the objective of improving investment climate in the State, a Self- Certification Scheme has been launched by this Government allowing employers to opt for self-compliance rather than inspection from the authorities. Also, the departmental portal has been integrated with Business First portal for facilitating the investors to avail this service.

DEFENCE SERVICES

215.               Our Government has always accorded top priority to the welfare of ex- servicemen, war-widows, world war veterans, disabled soldiers & their dependents and are fully committed to the resettlement and redressal of grievances of our soldiers & their families.  I propose a budgetary outlay of      Rs. 135 crore for 2021-22.

216.               The Government under its unique initiative called “Guardians of Governance” have appointed 4,300 Guardians in all the district of the State. An allocation of Rs. 64 crore is proposed so as to ensure efficacious execution of various welfare schemes & other citizen centric services for their welfare.

217.               I propose to set up Two new galleries in War Memorial Complex at Amritsar and Rs. 18 crore is proposed in this regard during 2021-22.

218.               An allocation of Rs. 5 crore is proposed during 2021-22 to improve the condition of Sainik School, Kapurthala.

NRI AFFAIRS

219.               We are concerned with the problems faced by Punjabi NRIs and to highlight the issues faced by Punjabi NRIs, our Government has appointed 30 Honorary Coordinators in different countries, and we have also strengthened the Punjab State Commission for NRIs. An on-line portal has also been set up for the NRIs on which they can send their complaints as also the constructive suggestions, if any.

220.               Sir, the two major initiatives of my Government, seeking active participation of NRIs in the affairs of their native State, “Friends of Punjab” aimed at development of rural infrastructure and “Connect With Your Roots” which remained suspended due to lockdown, will be reactivated in the coming year.

YOUTH AND EMPLOYMENT

INDUSTRIES & COMMERCE

INDUSTRIAL & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT POLICY-2017

221.               Sir, our Government as promised in the maiden Budget speech, had notified the Industrial & Business Development Policy in 2017 (IBDP-2017) with the objective of creating an investor friendly regulatory environment aimed at Ease of Doing Business. I am elated to inform, that as a result of this progressive policy, the State has received 1,726 proposals with proposed investment of about Rs. 71,262 crore during the last 4 years. It shall lead to employment generation of around 2.7 lac persons. The key proposals received are from HMEL (Rs. 21,991 crore); Think Gas Ludhiana Pvt. Ltd. (Rs. 2,119 crore); Happy Forgings Ltd. (Rs. 550 crore); Varun Beverages (Rs. 799.7 crore); ITC Ltd. (Rs. 727 crore) and Rayat Educational & Research Trust (Rs. 2644.33 crore).

222.                The reimbursement of GST has been one of the important incentives promised in the Industrial and Business Development Policy, 2017 (IBDP-2017) and the State on 17.10.2018 had notified the GST formula with a sunset clause of the applicability of the GST incentives where common application form of the proposals has been submitted before 31.03.2020. Now, in view of the demand from the Industry and to attract further investment in the State, it is proposed to extend the GST formula to make it co-terminus with the validity of the IBDP – 2017 i.e. 17.10.2022.

223.                Also, to promote the Food Processing sector in the State and address the issue of stubble burning along with the promotion of crop diversification, the State has suitably amended the above notification dated 17.10.2018 by relaxing the conditions of turnover of Food Processing Units from three times of Fixed Capital Investment (FCI) to one time of FCI for guaranteed incentive of 2.5% of the FCI.

SETTING UP OF DISTRICT BUREAU OF INDUSTRY AND INVESTMENT PROMOTION

224.               To further facilitate the investor at door-step, facilitation offices for investors at District level- District Bureau of Industry & Investment Promotion (DBIIP) offices are proposed to be set up in each district. In the first phase- Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, SAS Nagar, Patiala & Bathinda are proposed to be covered. These dedicated DBIIP offices shall be headed by the Deputy Commissioners as the CEO of the DBIIP. Further, Nodal Officers from line Departments shall be appointed in DBIIP to receive, process and grant statutory clearances/ approvals/ NOCs etc as required by an industrial unit through an existing Invest Punjab Business First portal. DBIIP will therefore facilitate new/expansion unit investments and expedite speedy approval/clearances required for grounding of the projects.

OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE FOR DECRIMINILISATION OF VARIOUS LAWS

225.                As part of decriminalization of the various laws associated with Industry and investments, the Government proposes to constitute an Oversight Committee with senior officers of concerned line departments and delegating the powers of approving criminal actions against the erring units to the Committee.

START-UP AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT

PUNJAB INNOVATION MISSION 2020

226.                To give further impetus to the start-up ecosystem in the state, the State Government under the able guidance of Captain Amarinder Singh Ji has approved the establishment of Punjab Innovation Mission 2020 and Punjab Innovation Fund on 02.12.2020. Under the Punjab Innovative Mission 2020, a Punjab Innovation Fund of Rs. 150 crore is proposed to be set up to invest in early-stage start-ups in the state of Punjab. The Government’s participation in this fund will be a maximum of 10% of the Corpus i.e. Rs. 15 crore. A provision of Rs. 10 crore is proposed in 2021-22 for this purpose under “Financial Assistance to Start-ups”.

PUNJAB STUDENT ENTREPRENEURSHIP SCHEME

227.                Our Government in June 2020 introduced the Punjab Student Entrepreneurship Scheme for the students in the State Technical Universities; Punjab State Board of Technical Education & Industrial Training and also to all the Universities falling under the purview of Department of Technical Education, Higher Education and Languages. Under this scheme, all the students who pursue entrepreneurship and innovation during their studies at universities, colleges, polytechnics that have incubators on campus are provided 20% attendance relaxation and 4% grace marks in academic courses.

INSTILLING INVESTOR CONFIDENCE THROUGH DEEMED APPROVALS

228.                To provide impetus to the economic growth and development in the State and generate jobs, the Government proposes to set up a statutory mechanism for deemed approval for various regulatory clearances at all levels. The entrepreneur/investor will be given the liberty to proceed further for execution of the project beyond the prescribed time limit subject to his certifying that all the provisions of regulations are complied with. This shall instil greater confidence in investors since in case of failure on the part of competent authority to grant approval/take decision within the stipulated period, it shall be deemed to be approved. Accordingly, the Punjab Bureau of Investment Promotion (PBIP) Act, 2016 is proposed to be amended to include appropriate statutory provision of:

i.             Automatic deemed approvals being generated and issued by Invest Punjab Business First Portal on behalf of the Competent Authority.

ii.             Revocation of deemed approval/strict penalty on the applicant for not abiding by the provisions of the relevant Acts / Rules.

iii.             Appeal mechanism

UPGRADATION OF INDUSTRIAL FOCAL POINTS INFRASTRUCTURE

229.               The State, through PSIEC, has undertaken 17 projects under MSE-CDP (IID) Schemes of Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of India for upgradation of Industrial Focal Points in the State of Punjab at a total outlay of Rs. 146.22 crore. Out of these, 4 projects are at an advanced stage of completion whereas 8 projects are under progress. The work on remaining 5 projects would be initiated upon receival of funds from the Government of India.

SETTING UP OF NEW STPs AND UP-GRADATION OF STP TO TERTIARY TREATMENT LEVEL

230.                Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) at total cost of Rs. 29 crore are being set up and upgraded in 5 Industrial Focal Points (IFPs) of Punjab under the Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme.

INDUSTRIAL SUBSIDY/INCENTIVES

231.                The Government, in its endeavour to support the industrial sector in the State has provided subsidized power to 1.38 lakh industrial consumers amounting to Rs. 5,412 crore in the last 3 years. I propose to continue the same and allocate Rs. 1,928 crore during 2021-22 for providing industrial power subsidy.

232.                Also, a provision of Rs. 50 crore is proposed for disbursement of sanctioned capital subsidy to eligible & entitled Industrial unit under various Industrial Policies in 2021-22.

ONE-TIME SETTLEMENT (OTS) POLICIES

233.                The State had announced OTS- Amnesty Scheme for such boiler users who are operating without following the provisions contained in the Boilers Act, 1923 and the Indian Boiler Regulations, 1950, to get their boilers regularized. So far 378 boilers have been regularized by the Department with an amount of 85.60 Lakhs.

234.                Our Government, to reduce the hasslement and facilitate the investor, proposes the following One-Time Settlement (OTS) Policies:

a.   For Defaulters of Interest Free Loan (IFL): To give fillip to rapid industrialization the State government was providing financial assistance in the form of IFL to new and expanding industrial units under the Punjab Industrial Policy, 1973 and 1978. The Government proposes OTS Policy for IFL Defaulters wherein Interest waiver and closure of case shall be provided on the condition that entire outstanding principal amount is paid within 90

days of the notification of the policy. Further, recovery of interest amount of the defaulters who have already deposited the principal amount with interest or without interest shall also be waived.

b.  For Restoration of cancelled allotment of PSIEC Plot Holders: The Government had earlier notified the OTS policy on 21.01.2020 wherein the plot holders, whose allotments were cancelled for varying reasons ranging from non-implementation of the project, mis-use of premises to default in payment etc., were given an opportunity to restore allotment by paying up their dues and remove misuse of premises, if any, latest by 20.04.2020. However, due to lockdown, majority of the affected plot holders could not apply and as per the demand of plot holders and their representatives, the government proposes to re-introduce OTS Scheme and extend its validity in the first phase up to 31.07.2021.

c.   For Recovery of enhanced Land Cost PSIEC Plot Holders: In addition to this, taking a considerate view of the recessionary phase coupled with the severe impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the industry and difficulty being encountered by the plot holders in mobilising funds, the Government proposes to extend “Amnesty Scheme” offered to the defaulting plot holders wherein they could discharge their principal liability along with simple interest at the rate of 15% per annum from current deadline of 30.06.2021 to 31.03.2022.

d.  For Loanees and Equity Holders of PSIDC/PFC: The State Government proposes to extend the cut-off date of the OTS Policy of 2018 from 31.12.2020 to 31.03.2021 and in the case of OTS for Equity, it is proposed that the date of the Balance Sheet may be taken as 31.03.2020.

HI-TECH CYCLE VALLEY, DHANANSU, LUDHIANA

235.               The State Government is developing a world-class state of the art Hi- Tech Cycle Valley in an area of 383 acres at Dhanansu, District Ludhiana with an

approximate cost of Rs. 500 crore that would help in attracting new investors not only from within the country but also from overseas. Hero Cycle is setting up an Anchor Unit in 100 acres land for the manufacturing of Mobility Solution like Bi- cycles, E-Bikes etc. A provision of Rs. 22 crore in 2021-22 is proposed for creation of capital assets. The Valley shall be inaugurated in April, 2021.

236.                Also, a provision of Rs. 5 crore is proposed in 2021-22 for the scheme “Dedicated funds for meeting the state share for Centrally Sponsored Schemes – Assistance Small Enterprise Cluster Development Programme (MSE-CDP)”.

SPORTS & YOUTH SERVICES

237.                Our Government has been making concerted efforts to promote sports with a special focus on high potential games that can attract the talent of children and youth and can win medals. The Government, for this purpose, is also undertaking the strengthening of the manpower to nurture the Sports talent. An allocation of Rs. 147 crore has been provided for Sports and Youth Services in the year 2021-22 i.e. an increase of 20% over 2020-21 RE.

238.               I am pleased to inform the House that the players of Punjab, brought laurels to the State, by winning 16 gold, 15 silver and 28 bronze at the Khelo India Games held in Guwahati (Assam) from 10/01/2020 to 22/02/2020, bagging an overall 10^th position across all-India.

239.               Sir, 56 different projects of Sports Infrastructure development are under progress and an amount of Rs. 29 crore has been provisioned in 2021-22 for completion of existing projects including Block level Multipurpose Sports Stadiums at Ludhiana, Rajpura, Dhuri, Amargarh, Nawanshahar, Khadoor Sahib & Pathankot and for construction of new sports infrastructure. A new Wrestling

Academy at Hoshiarpur and a Rowing Academy at Ferozepur will also be taken up in 2021-22. A special repair of the Table-Tennis Stadium, Jalandhar at the cost of Rs. 50 lakh shall also be undertaken during 2021-22. A suitable allocation has also been provided for purchase of sports equipments.

240.               Further, a separate allocation of Rs. 15 crore has been provided for Maharaja Bhupinder Singh Punjab Sports University at Patiala in budget 2021-22.

YOUTH SERVICES

241.                The Government, with the aim of inculcating leadership qualities amongst youth and promoting national integration, has been involving them in creative and social development activities.

242.               In the past four years, around 2 lakh NSS Volunteers have been enrolled in 18 Universities, 642 Colleges and 572 Senior Secondary Schools of the State. Also, Red Ribbon Clubs have been established in 600 colleges in collaboration with Punjab State AIDS Control Society.

243.               More than 1.25 lakh youths from Youth Clubs, NSS Volunteers and Red Ribbon Clubs have actively worked to create awareness against the burning of paddy-straw across the state with the help of district administration; started a campaign of fixing reflectors on vehicles to promote traffic awareness, curtail the problem of road accidents and organized 131 Blood Camps and donated 8,881 units in these Blood Camps. In addition to this, District-level and State-level Youth Parliaments were organized for democratic participation and for evolving new ideas that involved 1,200 participants.

EMPLOYMENT GENERATION AND TRAINING

244.               The Government, conscious of the problem of unemployment, is fully committed, under its Ghar Ghar Rozgar Mission, to enhance the employability of the youth through skill training, counselling and providing vocational guidance. Simultaneously, the Government is working on a war footing to create the employment opportunities in the state through suitable policy interventions.

245.               The budgetary allocation of the Department of Employment Generation during the tenure of this present Government has risen by more than five folds i,e. to Rs. 926 crore, which during the five period of previous government, was only Rs. 164 crore. The Government has therefore been able to facilitate employment to 16.29 lakh youth till date and targets to facilitate employment to another 10- lakh youth in the ensuing year. A budgetary allocation of Rs. 428 crore has been provided during 2021-22.

PUNJAB GHAR-GHAR ROZGAR AND KAROBAR MISSION (PGRKAM)

246.               I am pleased to announce that the present Government established the Punjab Ghar-Ghar Rozgar and Karobar Mission and launched a Job Helpline and an online portal to facilitate the unemployed youth through a digital platform. A total of 11,08,584 unemployed candidates and 8,460 employers have registered themselves on this platform.

247.               I am also happy to share that the State Employment Plan for the year 2020-2022 has been approved by our Government and we intend to recruit against 1 lakh vacancies in a phased manner. The Government would fill 48,989 posts in the first phase and complete the remaining recruitments as per the available vacancy position during 2021-22.

DISTRICT BUREAU OF EMPLOYMENT AND ENTERPRISES (DBEE)

248.               District Bureau of Employment and Enterprises (DBEE) have been established by the present Government in all the 22 districts of Punjab. In the year 2020-21 manual Registration of 2,64,463 unemployed candidates has been done. A total of 1,004 placement camps and 546 self-employment camps were organized through digital and physical means in which 3,22,088 unemployed candidates have been facilitated in getting employment. I propose Rs. 12 crore for this scheme in 2021-22.

249.               DBEEs also played an important role in facilitating the employment of labourers and other unemployed persons during the lockdown imposed on account of COVID-19 and 13,291 labourers were facilitated in getting the employment.

PUNJAB SKILL DEVELOPMENT MISSION (PSDM)

250.               Due to COVID-19 pandemic, training under various schemes were suspended and the same were resumed on 21.09.2020. Till date, 18,526 candidates have been trained under various schemes and 7,218 candidates have been provided employment assistance and an allocation of Rs. 228 crore for this Mission is provided in 2021-22 for further upscaling the mission in the next financial year.

MAHARAJA RANJIT  SINGH  ARMED  FORCES AND                       PREPARATORY INSTITUTE (MRSAFPI)

251.               This scheme targets to train 48 cadets every year. Total 97 cadets have joined NDA and other academies and 65 have become officers in Indian Armed Forces during the tenure of this government. I propose to double the training target for the Institute in 2021-22.

MAI BHAGO ARMED FORCES AND PREPARATORY INSTITUTE

252.               This institute imparts training to 25 Lady Cadets every year for a total period of 3 years. 3 Lady Cadets have been recruited as Commissioned Officers and 7 Lady Cadets have appeared for Services Selection Board during the tenure of this government. I propose to double the training target for the Institute in 2021-22.

SARDAR BAHADUR AMIN CHAND SONI ARMED FORCES PREPARATORY INSTITUTE

253.               Sardar Bahadur Amin Chand Soni Armed Forces Preparatory Institute will be set up at village Bajwara in Hoshiarpur by the end of 2021. 270 youth would be trained every year to be recruited as commissioned officers in CDSE (Combined Defence Services Examination)/AFCAT (Air Force Central Admission Test). I propose Rs. 29 crore in the budget 2021-22 for this Institute.

CENTRE FOR TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT OF PUNJAB YOUTH (C- PYTE)

254.               I am happy to announce that 9.45 acres of land has been allocated for opening a new camp at Village Asal Uttar, (near Abdul Hameed War Memorial) District Tarn Taran and Rs. 5 crore has been sanctioned for the first phase. A target of training 10,000 youths every year has been set. A total of 23,412 youths were recruited for training in the camps and 4,227 youths were recruited in the Army/Police during the tenure of this government. I propose Rs. 17 crore for this scheme in 2021-22.

DRUG DE-ADDICTION AND PREVENTION

DE-ADDICTION SERVICES

255.                Our Government is committed to end the drug menace in the state. De- addiction Services are being provided through a network of 35 Government De- addiction centres and 199 Government OOAT clinics. Further, De-addiction services are also being provided in 10 Central Jails and 1 special jail, specifically for the jail inmates. The State has incurred an expenditure of Rs. 50 crore for providing free medicines to the patients coming for treatment at these centres.

256.                Our Government has launched the Buddy’s Program to prevent addiction and inform about the ill-effects of drugs to all schools and college students. However, due to COVID-19 pandemic and closure of schools and colleges, the activities could not be undertaken in the current year. Upto December 2020, 1,27,160 senior buddies; 7,48,994 buddy groups and 37,24,410 number of students have been covered.

257.                Further, under the DAPO Program, upto December 2020, 6,26,519 people got registered as DAPOs who contacted 10,47,848 people and made them aware of the ill effects of drugs and also provided literature on the subject. Around 1,10,468 people were referred by the DAPOs to the nearest drug de- addiction centre; 60,571 seminars/programs under DAPO have been organized by DAPOs against drugs and 48,463 drug addicts referred by DAPOs to OOAT Clinics are duly followed up to make sure they are taking medication every day.

258.                Sir, the Special Task Force constituted by the present Government in 2017 to choke the supply of drugs has nabbed 53,161 drug peddlers and dealers and recovered 1,785 kg of heroin in the past 4 years. The Government will further strengthen the enforcement efforts, if required, with appropriate financial support.

HOME AFFAIRS AND JUSTICE

259.                To maintain communal harmony, peace, law and order in the State, the State Government has laid stress for setting up Cyber Investigation and Technical Support Units in all the districts for rapid detection of Cyber Crime Cases and to enhance the Cyber Infrastructure. Besides, a highly advanced Digital Investigation Training and Analysis Centre (DITAC) has also been set up to upgrade the existing State Cyber Crime Cell in collaboration with National Technical Research Organization (NTRO), New Delhi.

260.                The State Government has provided an outlay of Rs. 13 crore during 2021-22 for purchase of land for Police line at Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar and land for construction of police stations. In addition to this, an outlay of Rs. 10 crore has been proposed for construction and repair of Police Buildings during 2021-22.

WOMEN SAFETY

261.               The Government in all districts of the State, has introduced a free pickup facility for women at night by the Punjab Police. Besides this, a Laboratory for Cyber Crime Prevention against Women & Children (CCPWC) at a cost of Rs. 2.54 crore and installation of CCTV camera, laptops, helmets etc. at a cost of Rs. 3 crore is proposed to be undertaken during 2021-22.

262.               With an objective to ensure women safety and reduce malpractices in transport sector and provide accurate information about bus location, a “Panic Button” and VTS (Vehicle Tracking System) have been installed in more than 1,600 Buses. Devices for installation in private buses have been identified and the same will be installed in next 6 months.

MODERNIZATION OF POLICE FORCE

263.                The State has set up Traffic education-cells in the districts of the State to bring awareness about traffic rules and regulations and has also set up a State-level Centralized Call Taking Centre/Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) at Mohali. I propose an allocation of Rs. 6 crore for further strengthening of Dial-112 in 2021-22.

264.                In order to improve the capabilities of State police force to meet the emerging challenges of internal security on being a Border State, an allocation of Rs. 89 crore has been provisioned during 2021-22 for “Modernization of Police Force”.

INSTALLATION OF CCTV CAMERAS

265.                For installation of CCTV cameras at Patiala and Batala; Data Center Networking and Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and System (CCTNS) coverage etc., I propose an outlay of Rs. 10 crore for the year 2021-22.

JAILS

266.                To ensure use of technology in safeguarding prisons, it is proposed to implement an AI (Artificial Intelligence) enabled video surveillance and monitoring system at all the 10 Central Jails situated in the state of Punjab. This system shall use cutting-edge video analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning platforms to detect various incidents of interest in the jails. Incidents like throwing of contraband over the walls of the jails, attempts of escape from the jails, rioting or arson within the jails, attempt to cause self-harm by a prisoner etc. can be detected by this system, and suitable alerts shall be generated for corrective action. This system is expected to cost around Rs. 11 crore for ten jails.

267.                To de-congest the existing jail infrastructure, 2 new jails- Central Jail at Sri Goindwal Sahib (capacity-2780) and Women Jail at Bathinda (capacity-

250) will be operationalized in the year 2021. A Communication Dead Zone is being set up at Central Jail, Bathinda for confining notorious/hardcore prisoners only. This zone will be equipped with the state-of-the-art security gadgets for monitoring the activities of these prisoners and keep them restricted to their specific blocks. A new scheme, with budgetary allocation of Rs. 21 crore, for implementing the project has been proposed in Budget 2021-22.

268.                Further, to improve the hygiene and quality of food of prisoners, automated washing machines of large capacity and chapatti making machines for jail kitchens in all the Central Jails and a few district jails are proposed to be undertaken in 2021-22.

269.               To unlock the potential of the prison industry, it is proposed to establish specialized units in different jails which can be commercially run to meet the requirements of government departments as well as the private sector. Units for manufacturing cement pavers, steel furniture, phenyl and soap, carpentry, cloth, oil expeller etc. are proposed to be established in different jails which shall  supply the products to various government departments and other organizations. Also, under the aegis of the Punjab Prison Development Board, numerous units like confectionery units, LED light units etc. are also proposed to be established in different jails. These units shall not only keep the prisoners busy but shall also help in providing skills to ensure employability upon their release from the Jails.

RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE

RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND PANCHAYATS

270.               My Government’s commitment towards providing a responsive administration for improvement in the quality of life and economic well-being of our rural populace is evident from our allocation of Rs. 3,744 crore in 2021-22 for creation of rural infrastructure and rural livelihood.

SMART VILLAGE CAMPAIGN

271.               In 2019, Punjab started the Smart Village Campaign with an aim of transforming the villages by creating rural infrastructure and providing basic amenities like water supply, sanitation, streetlights, parks, gym etc. in convergence with MGNREGA. 19,132 works were taken up under first phase  of the campaign with an investment of Rs. 835 crore and out of these 17,454 works have been completed. With the success of the first phase of campaign, the State Government launched its second Phase, in October 2020, with a threefold expanded scope of work than of the initial program. We propose to undertake a total of 48,910 works under the second phase and an allocation of Rs. 1,175 crore has been made in the Budget 2021-22.

MAHATAMA GANDHI NATIONAL RURAL EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE SCHEME (MGNREGS)

272.               Employment to 8.39 lakh households to the tune of 315 lac mandays have been generated in 2020-21 under MGNREGS. The State has incurred highest ever expenditure under this scheme till February, 2021. Special focus was given to Model Playground works, 222 playgrounds out of  975 playgrounds have been completed and work is in progress on the remaining. Also, ahead of the monsoon season, work of cleaning 12,000 ponds were taken up; de-watering has been done in 12,184 village ponds whereas desilting has

been accomplished in 6,332 village ponds. I propose an allocation of Rs. 400 crore for this scheme in 2021-22.

RURBAN MISSION

273.               Rurban Mission was started in 2017 to develop 8 Clusters in 7 districts covering 332 villages to make our rural areas socially, economically and physically sustainable regions with a planned expenditure of Rs. 240 crore out of which Rs. 140 crore has been incurred till date. The State has taken up the matter with the Union Government for inclusion of 200 more clusters under this mission. An allocation of Rs. 145 crore is proposed for this project in 2021-22.

MAHATMA GANDHI SARBAT VIKAS YOJNA (MGSVY)

274.               To provide doorstep delivery of Government schemes to those who are most deserving but last in the queue, our Government had formulated this scheme and I am pleased to share that a total of 12.03 lakh persons have been covered under different schemes till January, 2021.

PARDHAN MANTRI AWAAS YOJANA

275.               With the vision of providing ‘Housing for All’ by 2022 under this scheme, 24,000 beneficiaries were found eligible to be covered from Punjab, out of which 15,515 houses have already been completed. We are targeting to cover the remaining during 2021-22. An outlay of Rs. 122 crore has been proposed for the year 2021-22.

HAR GHAR PAKKI CHATT

276.               The Government had announced a special scheme for houses with Kutcha Roof to convert them into Pucca Roof in the previous budget but the same could not be taken up due to restrictions imposed by COVID-19 pandemic. A special scheme to convert Kutcha Roof Houses in the rural areas

of the State to the Houses with Pucca Roofs shall be taken up in 2021-22 at a cost of Rs. 500 crore.

PUNJAB STATE RURAL LIVELIHOOD MISSION

277.               A total of 21,163 Self-Help Groups (SHGs) have been formed covering 2.20 lakh women households. I am delighted to announce that the women members of these SHGs have saved Rs. 45 crore and leveraged another Rs. 115 crore from the regulated financial sector.

CONSTRUCTION OF KABRISTAN/ KABARGAH FOR CHRISTIAN/ MUSLIMS COMMUNITY

278.               Muslim and Christian minorities in many areas of Punjab were facing the problem of paucity of land for the burial grounds. The State government is providing impetus to the construction of graveyards/ burial grounds in villages with sizeable percentage of minorities across the State. I propose a Grant of Rs. 5 lakh to be provided to the villages for the provision of basic facilities in the Kabargah/ Kabristan. An outlay of Rs. 20 crore has been proposed for this in  the budget for the year 2021-22.

MODERNIZATION & IMPROVEMENT OF SC VILLAGES HAVING MORE THAN 50% SC POPULATION

279.               In order to provide further impetus to existing grants in the villages having Scheduled Caste population greater than or equal to 50% of the total population, a special allocation of Rs. 10 crore is proposed for this purpose in 2021-22.

BORDER AND KANDI AREA DEVELOPMENT

280.               In line with our commitment of holistic development of all areas of the State, the government has taken special steps to address the constant challenges faced by the villagers of Border and Kandi Area of the State. To ensure an

integrated Development of these areas and for meeting the critical gaps in infrastructure, our Government proposes Rs. 100 crore for Border Area and Rs. 100 crore for Kandi Area during 2021-22. In addition to this, Rs. 68 crore is also being proposed for infrastructural works to be undertaken under the Border Area Development Programme.

HAR GHAR PAANI IN BORDER AND KANDI AREAS

281.               64 single village rural water supply schemes have been commissioned in the border districts during 2020-21 at a cost of Rs. 10 crore. Further, 180 schemes with an aggregate cost of Rs.72 crore are under procurement and shall be completed by December 2021. Also, the Government would, by December 2021, allot work on three new multi village surface water supply projects for the water scarce areas of the border districts of Fazilka and Ferozpur covering cover 414 villages, 1,28,684 households with a population of 7.4 lakh at a capital cost of Rs. 719 crore.

282.               To accord a special focus to the arsenic affected border districts of Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Taran Tarn, the government has started work on seven new multi surface water supply projects covering 620 villages costing Rs. 638 crore bringing relief to 1,58,303 households and 9.5 lakh people. The target date for completion of these projects is December 2022.

283.                The Government has undertaken special measures to enhance the water supply in the villages falling under the Kandi belt of the State. A total of 35 schemes have been commissioned at a cost of Rs. 6 crore. Another 167 schemes at a cost of Rs. 37 crore are in process and will be completed in this financial year.

284.                In addition to above, 2 new multi village surface water supply projects for Roopnagar and Hoshiarpur districts have been designed and the water for

these project would be taken from Shah Neher Barrage. The project for Anandpur Sahib sub-division of Roopnagar district covers 67 villages having 30,000 households and for Hoshiarpur district, the project covers 197 villages of Talwara, Dasuya and Bunga blocks having 35,000 households with a population of 1.72 lakh at a cost of Rs. 41 crore and Rs. 157 crore, respectively.

SHAHPUR KANDI DAM

285.                The work on Shahpur Kandi Dam project is under progress on River Ravi at an estimated cost of Rs. 422 crore. With the completion of this project, 1,042 MU of Hydro-electricity will be generated with an installed capacity of 206 MW with irrigation potential of 32,173-hectare area in Jammu & Kashmir and 5,000-hectare area in Punjab. The progress of the project, as on 31.12.2020, is 40% and it is expected to be completed by 30.04.2022 and commissioned from August, 2024. I propose an allocation of Rs. 182 crore during 2021-22 for execution of this project.

IRRIGATION FACILITIES IN KANDI AREAS

286.               The Government has taken up a new project with a cost of Rs. 196 crore, for installation and energization of 502 deep tube-wells for irrigation purpose in different blocks of Kandi area. I propose an allocation of Rs. 157 crore for the year 2021-22 bringing 21,028 Hectare area under assured irrigation facilities.

URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

287.                Punjab is getting rapidly urbanised and the need of the hour is to plan, develop and execute projects in a holistic manner so that our cities are well- equipped with all basic amenities. I propose an allocation of Rs. 7,192 crore for the holistic development of our urban sector for the year 2021-22 i.e. an increase of 68% over 2020-21 RE of Rs. 4,270 crore.

SMART CITIES MISSION

288.                Ludhiana, Amritsar & Jalandhar Cities have been selected, under Government of India’s Smart Cities Mission, to be developed as Smart Cities. Further, the Holy city of Sultanpur Lodhi has also been taken up as a special case under this mission. The focus of the mission is to improve infrastructure, IT Connectivity, e–Governance, citizen participation and addressal of environmental pollution, clean water and sanitation with safety of the residents. During 2020-21, works amounting to Rs. 1,237 crore have been started. I propose a budgetary provision of Rs. 1,600 crore for this project during 2021- 22.

CANAL BASED WATER SUPPLY PROJECT IN AMRITSAR AND LUDHIANA

289.                The State, with the help of Word Bank, is undertaking Canal Based Water Supply Project in the cities of Amritsar and Ludhiana. The cost of the projects are Rs. 686 crore and Rs. 1,242 crore respectively, excluding O&M of 10 years. Under this ambitious project, surface-based potable water will be made available to these cities which are currently groping with the problem of rapidly depleting ground water level. The negotiation of the projects with the World Bank have been completed and the project is proposed for approval in the ensuing Executive Committee meeting of the World Bank scheduled for

31.03.2021. The construction of the project will start in 2021-22.

ATAL MISSION FOR REJUVENATION AND URBAN TRANSFORMATION (AMRUT)

290.                The  Government  of  India  has  approved  projects  amounting   to Rs. 2,785 crore under the State Annual Action Plans (SAAPs) for 16 Towns of Punjab under the AMRUT Scheme and works amounting to Rs. 2,740 crore have already been awarded and an expenditure of Rs. 683 crore has been released for these works. An outlay of Rs. 1,400 crore is proposed for the year 2021-22.

291.                Some of the major works taken under AMRUT/Smart Cities Mission (Convergence) include:

i.          24X7 Surface Water Supply Schemes in Jalandhar and Patiala at an estimated cost of Rs. 592 crore and Rs. 360 crore, respectively.

ii.          Rejuvenation of Buddha Nallah, Ludhiana at a cost of Rs. 650 crore.

iii.           Rejuvenation of Badi  Nadi  &  Chhoti  Nadi,  Patiala  at  a  cost  of  Rs. 208 crore.

SWACHH BHARAT MISSION-URBAN

292.                Sir, I am pleased to inform the House that Punjab has emerged as one of the front runners in implementation of this Mission and receiving enormous prizes in various Swachh Survekshan. The State has undertaken various innovations that include Solid Waste Management like Mechanical Separator locally designed for bio-mining of old dump sites, shredder machine for horticulture waste management and Jivaamrit/Bacterial Culture for expediting composting process. I propose Rs. 114 crore for this mission during 2021-22.

LED STREET LIGHT

293.                Keeping in view the increasing power consumption by the conventional streetlights, our government so far has already replaced 3,43,000 existing streetlights with LED lights. We intend to replace all the streetlights with LED lights by December 2021.

PUNJAB URBAN ENVIRONMENT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME (PUIEP)

294.                The programme is to make urbanisation impactful and enable the development of state-of-the art urban infrastructure and efficient service delivery systems for the urban population of Punjab. Works like construction of roads, drains and laying of interlocking tiles are being carried in all the 167 Urban Local Bodies. Works amounting to Rs. 292.24 crore under Phase-I have been initiated in 2019-20 and 2020-21 and under Phase-II announced in 2020- 21, the allocation has been increased from Rs. 500 crore to Rs. 1,117 crore, out of which, works amounting to Rs. 947 crore have already been approved and under various stages of implementation. Further, I propose an additional allocation of Rs. 500 crore during 2021-22 for undertaking these works.

E-GOVERNANCE PROJECT

295.                Under the Digital Punjab initiative, with an objective to facilitate the citizen interface with Urban Government, our Government has initiated the e- Governance Project wherein citizen-centric services like water and sewerage management, property tax, trade license, Public Grievance Redressal, Fire Services, Miscellaneous Receipts and Building Plan Management etc.  have been rolled out across all the Urban Local Bodies of Punjab. These services shall have a direct and positive impact on the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ rating of the State. Moreover, Integration of payment systems with Sewa Kendra/ BBPS/ PayTM has been initiated. To further our goal of e-Governance, citizens can log their grievances through WhatsApp chat box.

EMPOWERING SLUM DWELLERS – BASERA

296.                ‘BASERA’, guided by the Punjab Proprietary Rights to Slum Dwellers Act, 2020 along with the allied Rules, is a milestone step towards inclusive urban development and planning of the Government of Punjab. BASERA lays the foundation for mainstreaming of slums with the rest of the city by involving just and inclusive city development paradigms in practice. The scheme applies to all slums, including but not limited to notified or non-notified or recognised or authorised slums or the slums identified in accordance with the provisions of ‘The Punjab Slum Dwellers (Proprietary Rights) Act, 2020’ situated on Land owned by the state government or any of its entities. This scheme is applicable to all urban areas within the limits of all Municipal Bodies established under the Punjab Municipal Act, 1911 and The Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976.

297.                In pursuance of the BASERA, the Punjab Proprietary Rights to Slum Dwellers Act, 2020 and the allied Rules, the ULBs have started undertaking the exercise of slum boundary delineation along with slum household survey. Simultaneously, a tenability analysis is also being conducted for the land occupied by the slum dwellers. Conferring property rights to ensure security of tenure to the slum dwellers is the next step towards ushering in the new paradigm of inclusive development. It is expected that 87,000 slum households will be given Property Rights under this scheme.

NATIONAL URBAN LIVELIHOOD MISSION (NULM)

298.                Gainful self-employment and skilled wage employment is being provided under this mission to reduce poverty and vulnerability of the urban poor. This mission also addresses livelihood concerns of the urban street vendors by facilitating access to suitable spaces, institutional credit, social security and skills to the urban street vendors for accessing emerging market opportunities. I propose a budgetary provision of Rs. 36 crore for this scheme in

2021-22.

PUNJAB INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT BOARD

299.                PIDB has been created under the Punjab Infrastructure (Development and Regulation) Act, 2002 (PIDRA) to act as a nodal agency for Infrastructure Development in the State involving Public Private Partnership (PPP). The Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) in Amritsar with a total fleet of 93 buses, under the aegis of PIDB, started on 28.01.2019 and it was awarded as best Urban Mass Transit project by Government of India for the year 2019. During 2021- 22, works of Rs. 975 crore under Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode are proposed to be taken up by PIDB in Urban Development and Tourism Sector. Some of the important projects are stated below:

i.    International Standard Tourism/ Theme Destination in Punjab on Pathankot-Dalhousie road around Ranjit Sagar Lake at a cost of Rs. 450 crore

ii.     Ludhiana, Mohali and Amritsar Commercial Complexes-cum-Exhibition Centres at a cost of Rs. 125 crore; Rs. 150 crore and Rs. 250 crore, respectively.

HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

300.                Our government is committed to providing affordable housing in the State to low-income and middle-income classes and has accordingly notified an “Affordable Housing Policy”. Further, to encourage the promoters to develop affordable colonies under this policy, financial benefits like Change of Land use (CLU), Licence Fees/Permission Fees (LF/PF), External Development Charges (EDC) and Social Infrastructure Fund (SIF) have been exempted. Under Punjab Shehri Awas Yojana, 124 flats have been allotted at village Hajimajra in Patiala to SC/BC houseless families having income less than Rs. 3 lac per annum.

301.                The State with a view of further enhancing affordable housing and re-energising the sector intends to undertake the schemes namely EWS Housing Schemes on Authority Land; EWS Private Project Housing Schemes; Regularisation Policy for standalone Project and Amnesty Policy for default in payment of instalments during 2021-22. In this endeavour, the State Housing Department would achieve 25,000 houses for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and 25,000 affordable houses for other category of citizens.

302.                The Government in 2020 has started the work on the Heritage Street near Qila Mubarak, Patiala and the same shall be completed soon.

OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE

TOURISM & CULTURAL AFFAIRS

303.                The State Government is obligated to preserve and restore its heritage and the Government envisions to establish the State of Punjab as a world-class destination offering a unique, different and memorable experience to tourists, while ensuring sustainable and responsible tourism. The Government’s mission is to work relentlessly to increase the annual tourist visits in the State by improving the existing infrastructure and also through creation of new infrastructure.

400TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF SRI GURU TEG BAHADUR JI

304.                The State would organize a State-level function to commemorate the 400^th Birth Anniversary of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji and an amount of Rs. 100 crore has been earmarked for this purpose in 2021-22. A Theme Park at Chamkaur Sahib worth Rs. 30 crore to showcase Sikh Culture and establishment of infrastructure using latest technology based on multimedia works is near completion and will be opened to public in April, 2021.

100th YEAR OF COMMEMORATION OF JALLIANWALA BAGH MARTYRS

305.                Jallianwala Bagh Centenary Memorial Park in Amritsar would be set up at a cost of Rs. 3.52 crore and this sacred Memorial will have the soil brought by kin of Martyrs or Panchayats, Sarpanches and Councilors. The Memorial is expected to be dedicated to the people by 15^th August, 2021.

SETTING UP OF MEMORIALS, MONUMENTS AND MUSEUMS

306.               An amount of Rs. 178 crore has been proposed in 2021-22 for development/ conservation and preservation of various memorials/ monuments/ museums of the State namely Quila Phool at Rampura; Bhai Mardana Ji Memorial; Bhagwan Valmiki Tirath Sthal, Amritsar; Bhai Jaita Ji Memorial; Late Mohd. Rafi’s Memorial at Village Kotla Sultan Singh; Ajj Sarovar in Kharar; Park at Virasat-e-Khalsa, Anandpur Sahib, etc. Also, the Khuralgarh Memorial shall be completed during 2021-22 at a cost of Rs. 103 crore. The Government shall also initiate the construction of Pandava Jheel, Ghadaun and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Memorial in Doaba region during the coming year.

FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

307.                 An amount of Rs. 5 crore has been proposed to organize Patiala Heritage Festival, Military Literature Festival and other Cultural Activities during the year 2021-22.

ROADS & BRIDGES

308.                Our Government is committed to providing robust infrastructure in the form of safe and sustainable roads and bridges and more importantly maintaining the existing ones. An outlay of Rs. 2,449 crore has been earmarked for the year 2021-22. Out of which, Rs. 575 crore is earmarked for upgradation,

construction and repair of Roads & Bridges of 560 km of road length to be undertaken during 2021-22.

309.                Further, Rs. 160 crore is proposed for upgradation of 124 rural roads and 13 bridges with the assistance of NABARD including Jaimal Singhwala, Dharampura; Gurdaspur-Dera Baba Nanak road to Agwan, Barila, Dhidowal; village Gillzian-Kamalpur to Historic Gurdwara Tahlili Sahib via Munak Bolewal; Budhlada Jakhal road to Kulrian byepass Bareta; Bhawanigarh to Bakhopeer Road to Kakra and Alorakh to Nabha Road; Naya Gaon to Kane Ka Bara to Tanda Karoran Pinjor road; construction of bridge at Bist doab canal – Garshankar-Mehtiana Road to Binjon Hospital and to Binjon Rehla; Construction of HL Bridge on Samana Bhawanigarh Road; construction of over bridge on Nangal Hydel Channel near Bhaowal Steel foot bridge; HL bridge on Ropar-Nangal road to Raipur Nangal Hydel Channel and Sri Anandpur Sahib Hydel Project; bridge to connect on Satluj river-Shahpur and other villages; etc. I am delighted to share that our Government has completed six (6) ROBs in the last 4 years and other 12 ROBs and 1 RUB are under various stages of construction. Besides, an allocation of Rs. 150 crore has been proposed for construction of ROBs/RUBs at Chougeti Ladhewali Road – Jalandhar, Jalandhar Cantt. -Hoshiarpur line and Dina Nagar; Bathinda, Pathankot and Ahmedgarh, Bridge on Bibhor Sahib to Swamipur Pingwari link road; HL Bridge Nangal Hydel Channel and Sri Anandpur Sahib Hydel Channel near Jandla and others.

310.                Also, upgradation/4-lanning of 289 km out of the total 477 km of National Highways and 4 ROBs has been completed and work is in progress on the remaining. The project is being undertaken at a cost of Rs. 4,062 crore.

CRF

311.                Under Central Road Fund (CRF) Scheme, a provision of Rs. 250 crore has been earmarked for various works benefiting 308 Km of Roads. During

2021-22, Rs. 100 crore has been allocated for land acquisition and construction of ROBs /RUBs for Dedicated Freight Corridor Rail Line from Rajpura to Ludhiana.

POWER

312.                The State Government is committed to assured power supply and to improve the reliability of power supply. The State catered the maximum demand of 13,148 MW during Paddy season 2020 without any load shedding and met highest energy demand of 3,018 lakh units (LUs/day) in a single day on 02.07.2020. PSPCL ensured the power supply to its consumers despite the dwindling coal stock position due to Rail Roko agitation. In order to cut the power purchase cost, PSPCL has entered into a bilateral banking arrangement importing 4,427.57 MUs of power during paddy season. An agreement has also been made with Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) for the procurement of 500 MW Hybrid Power @ Rs. 2.76 per unit.

HOTLINE MAINTENANCE

313.                The State of Punjab has become the first state in Northern India to carry out Hotline Maintenance. Exemplary achievement has been made in the Hotline Maintenance on live 132/220/400 KV transmission system.

BOOSTING CONSUMPTION

314.                In order to encourage productive use of surplus power in the State, lower rate of energy charge for consumption of power exceeding the threshold limit of previous two years is being charged to industrial consumers.

FREE POWER TO DOMESTIC CONSUMERS

315.                Our Government would continue providing free electricity of 300 units per month upto 1KW to the freedom fighters category and 200 units per month

upto 1KW to the SC, BC, non -SC BPL consumers. 24.31 lakh domestic consumers avail this subsidy. An allocation of Rs. 1,513 crore is being proposed during 2021-22.

TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION

316.               A new 220 KV substation at Ladowal has been commissioned. Besides,

266.50 MVA on 400/220/132 KV Sub-Stations, 51.619 Kms of transmission lines and 53.433 KM 66KV Ckt have also been added. 4 number 132 KV substations have been upgraded to 220 KV level with a cost of Rs. 58.83 crore at Maur, Hoshiarpur, Badhani Kalan and Alawalpur. PSPCL has brought down its Transmission & Distribution (T&D) losses to 14.69%.

317.                The Construction work of new 400KV sub-station at Dhanansu and Behman Jassa Singh is under progress and tenders have been floated for new construction work of 400 KV Substation at Ropar, additional 500 MVA at 400 KV Substation, Rajpura and augmentation of 1 No. 315 MVA with 500 MVA at Nakodar.

NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES

318.                Our Government is committed to boost clean and green development by increasing the production of energy from Renewable Sources. In the year 2020- 21, a total of 98.04 MW capacity of Renewable Energy Projects have been commissioned and Biomass Power projects are consuming 4.14 lakh metric tonne of paddy straw annually.

319.                A Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) project based on Paddy Straw of 33 TPD capacity shall be commissioned in District Sangrur by March 2021.

320.                A new project proposal has been submitted to Government of India for setting up of aggregate capacity of 100 MW standalone Biomass Power Projects

and 25 MW Biomass Solar Hybrid Power Projects. Besides, 3,930 family size Biogas plants have been installed under New National Biogas and Organic Manure Programme (NNBOMP) and 19 existing inefficient pump-sets have been replaced with energy efficient pump-sets having total capacity of 285 HP in Rural Drinking Water Pumping System in Rajpura Division under Energy Conservation Programme.

321.                I also propose a new scheme for installation of High Mast Solar Powered Light in 750 rural stadium/playgrounds in the budget 2021-22 with an outlay of Rs. 5 crore.

PRADHAN  MANTRI  –   KISAN  URJA  SURAKSHA  EVAM                     UTTHAAN MAHABHIYAN

322.                PM-KUSUM scheme has been launched by Government of India for farmers for setting up of grid connected solar power plants, standalone off grid solar pumps and grid connected solar pumps with the aim of providing energy security and raising their income. Under this scheme, solar power plants of capacity 1MW to 2MW are to be set up by the Farmers, Panchayats, Co- operatives & FPOs to sell power to PSPCL and a target of 220 MW has been fixed for 2021-22. So far, 600 off-grid solar water pumping systems have been installed and 3,900 solar pumps are under installation. Solar pumps upto 7.5 HP capacities are to be setup by the farmers for replacement of diesel engines, while grid connected agriculture pumps upto 7.5 HP capacity are to be solarised. Farmers will sell surplus power to PSPCL to earn additional income. We have set a target of 12,500 solar pumps and 5,000 off-grid pumps for 2021-22. I propose an allocation of Rs. 125 crore for this scheme in the budget 2021-22.

TRANSPORT

323.                There is a demand and need to shift the bus stands from the inside the cities, to decongest our growing cities. As promised in the previous budget, construction of a New Bus Stand along with workshop at Patiala with ultra- modern facilities on an area of 8.50-acre land at a cost of Rs. 61 crore has already begun in 2020-21.

324.                We will construct 25 Bus-stands at a cost of Rs. 250 crore in different towns including Roopnagar, Dharamkot, Mullanpur, Zira etc. and procure 500 new buses at a cost of Rs. 150 crore for PRTC and PUNBUS during 2021-22.

FREE TRANSPORT FACILITY TO STUDENTS AND WOMEN

325.                My Government had proposed free transport facility for the primary school students in the last budget but the same could not start due to closure of schools on account of lockdown imposed to curtail COVID-19. I propose to expand the scope of the scheme to cover students studying in Government Colleges and all female passengers for which an allocation of Rs. 170 crore has been provided.

326.                The Government is also in the process of issuing more than 3,000 permits for mini-bus operators and this shall help in providing employment as well improve connectivity to the villages. The Government intends to make these permits for mini-bus on demand in an open and transparent manner.

327.                Punjab Road Safety Council at the State-level and Road Safety councils at the District-level have been constituted for the purpose of safeguarding the lives of people on the roads. Out of 432 black-spots identified in 12 critical districts of Punjab, more than 100 have already been rectified. A provision of Rs.

33 crore has been provided in the budget 2021-22 to operationalise these  Councils and motivate them to address the urgent issue of safe road infrastructure

to save precious human lives.

328.                The Institute of Driving Training & Research (IDTR) is being set up at Kapurthala. Apart from it the Regional Driving Training Centres (RDTCs) at Malerkotla and Batala are also being setup to provide training to the drivers of Commercial Vehicles.

329.                500 Sewa Kendras and more than 3,500 Common Service Centres have been authorised to provide service of Learning License so as to give doorstep services The State has finalized the arrangements and soon would start home- delivery of Driving Licences and Registration Certificates (RCs) on the lines of passport delivery and also plan for keeping tatkal option for emergency cases.

REVENUE

330.                The State Government has released an amount of Rs. 812 crore to the districts & other departments for handling Covid-19 pandemic and Rs. 154.78 crore for natural calamities. Besides, a sum of Rs. 14.39 crore has been released for completion of District Administrative Complexes (DAC) of SBS Nagar, Kapurthala and Amritsar and Rs. 2.27 crore has been released for reimbursement of the part of the State GST for the purchase of Langar goods during 2020-21.

331.                Our Government has launched a new feature of online automatic  locking of e-stamp paper and e-registration fee to avoid the revenue losses or re- use of the e-stamp paper and e-registration receipt with any other document.  More than 15 lakh documents have been registered through National Generic Documents Registration System (NGDRS).

332.                My Government shall undertake the construction of Tehsil Complexes at Guru Harsahai, Malerkotla, Ahmedgarh, Bhawanigarh, Amloh, Dinanagar at a cost of Rs. 4 crore each. New Sub-Tehsil complex at a cost of Rs. 1.5 crore will be constructed in sub-tehsil Sham Charausi and at a cost of Rs. 1 crore at Hajipur.

333.                The District Administrative Complex (DAC) Amritsar at a cost of Rs. 94 crore and an additional floor in District Administrative Complex Pathankot at a cost of Rs. 10 crore will be completed during 2021-22.

CIVIL AVIATION

334.                To boost air connectivity in Punjab & promote international flights, airport facilities have been upgraded to accommodate larger aircrafts. The runway at Chandigarh International Airport, Mohali has been expanded to have an effective take-off length of 10,400 ft. Air Force Station (AFS), Chandigarh has recently completed installation of CAT II-B on Runway-29 under the Modernization of Airfield Infrastructure (MAFI) Scheme, thus enabling 24-hour operations.

335.                 Installation of CAT III-B ILS is being planned on Runway-11 to enable low visibility landing even during foggy winter months and Upgraded Instrument Landing System (ILS) is being installed to handle aircrafts during low visibility conditions.

336.                Under the aegis of the Punjab State Civil Aviation Council, flying training is being imparted at Patiala and Amritsar on single engine, multi-engine aircraft and on simulator for instrument flying. During 2020-21, 1,340 hours of flying training has been imparted. Also, three sites have been allotted to various agencies, for development of Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facilities at Patiala Aviation Complex (PAC) which are expected to start their operations by 31.03.2021.

MGSIPA

337.                Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration (MGSIPA), Punjab was created to undertake research, consultancy, training and allied activities to improve management efficiency in the various areas of Public

Administration particularly those areas which are characterized by deficits in the system leading to poor performance and inefficiency. The institute has conducted

466 training programmes and trained 19,007 officers/officials of various departments of the state government during 2020-21. Besides, MGSIPA also offers an excellent opportunity to the aspirants of the Civil Services examination by providing coaching for IAS/PCS Preliminary and Mains examination and conducts mock interviews to prepare the candidates. I propose an allocation of Rs. 24 crore in 2021-22 for this Institute.

EXCISE AND TAXATION

338.                The Government, with an objective to facilitate its small and medium businesses and dealers, has introduced a One-Time Settlement Scheme (OTS) for VAT & CST w.e.f. 01.02.2021. The salient features of the policy are outlined below:

i.        All the dealers whose assessments have been framed up to 31-12- 2020 can apply under the scheme till 30-04-2021.

ii.        The dealer can submit additional statutory forms, which were not produced at the time of assessment, with the application form.

iii.         The dealer has to make the self-assessment and submit the proof of payment of 100% of the net tax payable as the result of settlement.

339.                A scheme, on the similar lines, for VAT Assessments of post 2013-14 till introduction of GST, shall be notified by the Government in the coming fiscal year.

340.                The State has purchased the SAS (Statistical Analysis System) tool for Data mining and intelligence-based action for checking evasion. The risk scoring of all firms based on pre-defined parameters has been completed and also revenue forecasting, circular trading etc is being worked upon. Also, BIFA

(Business intelligence and Fraud analytics) tool developed by GSTN is being used and so far, we have arrested 9 persons in 3 cases involving bogus billing of around Rs. 800 crore in current year till date and further necessary action in a number of other cases is being expedited.

GOVERNANCE REFORMS

341.                Our Government is committed to build a ‘Digital Punjab’. We are constantly striving to improve service-delivery to the residents of the State using Information Technology (IT) as a tool and bring ease to residents in their Governments’ interaction through process re-engineering of citizen-centric services.

342.                The State, with this objective of transforming citizen experience, has introduced reform measures at eSewa/Sewa Kendra such as migration of eDistrict to eSewa and development of 50 more online (38 already developed) end to end services. In addition to this, 60 more offline services; Door-Step Delivery; birth/death registration from private hospital across state; Tatkal Services and 10 across-the-counter services have been launched.

343.                The State is on-boarding 15 more services of the State Government Departments/Boards/Corporations and 10 Universities of the State on DigiLocker.

344.                Under Public Grievance Redressal System (PGRS), the State aims to reduce the pendency of Grievances to 1%. 64 Departments/ Boards/Corporations have already been on–boarded while the remaining State Departments/Boards/corporations are in the process of being on-boarded. To further quicken the resolution of Grievances, a Mobile Application is under development. Further, development of single grievance mechanism for the State and development of an interface on mSewa Mobile App for Employees is in

process.

345.                The Government, as a part of Digital Punjab initiative, has integrated all offices on eOffice platform and shall bring on- board remaining Departments/Boards/corporations during 2021-22.

346.                The State shall soon create a Unified ID for citizens and their families so that the benefits of various government welfare schemes are extended through an authentic and verifiable database of beneficiaries efficiently.

347.                A provision of Rs. 82 crore is proposed for various e-governance projects including infrastructure projects such as Wide Area Connectivity (WAN), Local Area Network (LAN) and State Data Centre (SDC).

EMPLOYEE AND PENSIONER WELFARE

348.                Speaker Sir, your Government has successfully and seamlessly transitioned to a new Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS) w.e.f. 1.4.2020. Though the new system was rolled out during the lockdown but it was ensured that no disruption occurs in the release of committed liabilities to our employees and pensioners. The State, through the new system, has eliminated the dependence on external vendor. The State exchequer had paid a whopping Rs. 140 crore to the TCS for roll-out of the earlier IWDMS- IFMS software then in 2011, while, the new IFMS system has been launched with the assistance of NIC at a cost of Rs. 32 crore only.

349.            Sir, Human Resource Management System (HRMS) has been implemented in all the Administrative Departments of the State w.e.f. 2018, whereby the salary bills of all employees as also their e-service books have been generated on the system. The software permits the calculation of employee’s annual increment, GPF, Leave account, GIS, LTC automatically. The performance appraisal of GAD staff has also been automated using

iHRMS software. The Government employees/officials can now view the required information by using iHRMS Android app. The system has brought about transparency and the employees can view their entitlements at any time and from anywhere.

350.             It also gives me pleasure to inform that our Government w.e.f. 04.01.2021 has started issuing e- Pension Payment Order (e-PPO). Before this system, Pension Payment Order (PPO) was issued by the office of Accountant General (AG), Punjab physically in duplicate which sometimes resulted in loss of PPO in transit and most importantly delays in receipt of pension orders. The State in the welfare of the pensioners has decided for issuance of e-Pension Payment Order (e-PPO). The e-PPO are being sent in iHRMS IDs of the retirees by the office of AG, Punjab circumventing all the delays, losses and harassments involved in its dispatch.

351.            Further, my Government intends to integrate the IFMS system with the NSDL software for real time (T+2 days) uploading of monthly deductions in the subscribers account w.e.f. 1.4.2021. This would thus reduce the delays in uploading the accounts and the employees, covered by NPS scheme, will be able to realise the growths on their and employer’s contribution timely.

6TH PUNJAB PAY COMMISSION

352.            Sir, coming to the welfare of employees of the State, I sincerely hope the much-awaited report of 6^th Punjab Pay Commission shall be submitted soon. Anticipating the same, I have made the necessary provisions in my budgetary estimates.

353.            Not only the necessary budgetary provision to implement the recommendations of the Commission prospectively has been kept but provision to pay a part of the arrears has also been made.

354.            Sir, it takes time for any Government to examine and assess any recommendations but I am proactively laying the timelines for my Government to act on the recommendations of the Commission. I announce to implement those recommendations of the Commission accepted by the Government from 1.7.2021. I also announce to pay the arrears, if any, in a staggered manner of which the first instalment shall be paid in October, 2021 and second instalment in January, 2022.

BUDGET AT A GLANCE

Mr. Speaker Sir,

355.            The total Budget size for the year 2021-22 is Rs. 1,68,015 crore. However, the effective Budget size, after providing for a budget provision of Rs. 30,000 crore towards Ways and Means transactions for the current year, is Rs. 1,38,015 crore. The total Receipts are expected to be Rs. 1,62,599 crore. The details are as follows:

Sr.No.	Item	Revised Estimates 2020-21(Rs. crore)	Budget Estimates 2021-22(Rs. crore)
1	Revenue Receipts (2+3+4+5)	72,042	95,258
2	State’s Own Tax Revenue	30,409	37,434
3	State’s Own Non-Tax Revenue	4,633	7,758
4	Share of Central Taxes	9,834	12,027
5	Grants-in-Aid from Centre	27,167	38,038
6	Capital Receipts (7+8+9)	70,177	67,341
7	Public Debt excluding Ways and Means Advances	44,167	37,336
8	Ways & Means Advances	26,000	30,000
9	Non-Debt Receipts	10	5
10	Total Receipts (1+6)	1,42,220	1,62,599
11	Revenue Expenditure (12+13+14+15)	92,772	1,03,880
12	Salaries and Wages (including Grant-in-Aid Salary)	26,363	27,714
13	Pension and retirement benefits	13,000	11,767
14	Interest Payments	18,589	20,316

15	Other Revenue Expenditure	34,820	44,084
16	Capital Expenditure	6,822	14,134
17	Repayment of Public Debt excluding Ways and Means Advances	13,482	18,513
18	Repayment of Ways & Means Advances	26,000	30,000
19	Advances of Loans	924	1,488
20	Total Expenditure (11+16+17+18+19)	1,40,000	1,68,015
21	Revenue Deficit (11-1)	20,730	8,622
	Revenue Deficit as % of GSDP	3.42	1.42
22	Fiscal Deficit (21+19+16-9)	28,465	24,240
	Fiscal Deficit as % of GSDP	4.69	3.99
23	Primary Deficit (+)/Primary Surplus (-) (22-14)	9,876	3,924
24	Effective Outstanding Debt#	2,52,880	2,73,703
	Outstanding Debt as % of GSDP	41.69	45.05
25	GSDP at Current Prices	6,06,530	6,07,594

* Figures have been rounded off, # excluding Rs. 8,359 crore received as back-to-back loans in lieu of GST Compensation, during the year 2020-21

356.            It would be facetious of me to claim that the last four years have been perfect. Of course, there are things that could have been better. We are conscious of these shortcomings and strive towards improvement.

357.            But an urgent issue confronts not just Punjab, or the neighbouring States of Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh or Uttar Pradesh alone in the form of the 3 Agriculture Bills introduced by the Central Government – as it impacts everyone in India.

358.            People all over the world have suffered due to divisiveness. Punjab has suffered not once but three times in a century due to politics of divisiveness, first in the 1940s when the state was partitioned, then again during the Punjabi Suba Morcha agitation, and then in the 1980s due to militancy. Speaker  Sir, we have learnt our lessons. That is why Punjabis have shown an aversion to the BJP’s divisive narrative.

359.                       Besides divisiveness, one needs to point out that arrogance has led to the downfall of many empires. One should not forget Ozymandias by the

great poet Shelley. Recently, Archie Brown, the renowned scholar who studied the collapse of totalitarian empires wrote a seminal book titled: “Myth of a Strong Leader.” The book is essential reading for all leaders, and it conclusively states that good leaders are not the ones who concentrate powers and decision making, but the ones who collaborate, delegate, negotiate and recognise that no person has or should have all answers.

360.            The twin practices of divisiveness and arrogance stand in sharp contrast to the humility of the Indian farmer.

361.            For six months now, the entire world has been shocked by the audacity and rigidity of the Union Government in passing the three farm bills. Farmers protested in Punjab, but the Union Government did not listen. They moved to Delhi, but the Union Government still did not listen. Today, the entire world is echoing the voice of the Indian farmer.

362.            Amidst such despondency, amidst such unprecedented crackdown, the farmer has proved to be a beacon of hope, a flag of resistance. As they light bonfires during the dark winter nights, one cannot but admire their tenacity and resilience. To quote a Poet from the Punjab, I quote in original:

दुनिया मेरे  अजम को कमजोर ि समझे ये सबर है मेरा, इसे कु छ और ि समझे

सोए हुये शेरों को जगाना नह ीं अच्छा हम जैसो को बेकार सताना नह अच्छा

खामोश था लेककन तेरे ढब (तौर–तर के ) देख रहा था मैं सोचती आींखों से गजब देख रहा था

कमजोर नह हूँ कक तझे कु छ न कह ींगा वतन परस्त हूँ   मैं कडा वार करूं  गा

363.            Speaker Sir, I dedicate this budget to the farmers of India and salute their inspirational struggle that is already on its way to acquiring a legendary status.

364.            Yesterday’s pain is tomorrow’s power. Some of the actions that we took were painful and not easy to take, but I am glad to report that we have achieved success. We have endured pain, suffering and difficult times. Now the state has come out of a morass. This pain will be soon forgotten, as we are now set to enjoy the fruits of our hard labour.

365.            We have successfully overcome the budgetary deficits, falling financial indicators, and economic woes.

366.            Punjab is now on the cusp of history, and the future is well within our grasp. It is an opportune time for Punjab to once again claim its rightful space as a high performer. I am reminded of the great Punjabi poet Allama Iqbal and I quote:

िह  ूं हूं िा उम्म द इकबाल अपि  नकश्त–ए–व राूं से, जरा िम हो तो यह नमट  बड  जरखेज है साक

367.            I wish to record my gratitude to Hon’ble Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh Ji. A friend and a leader of Men. Without his unstinted support and guidance, I would not be able to discharge my duties effectively and efficiently.

368.            I thank you, Mr. Speaker Sir, and all the Hon’ble Members of this august House, for your past support. I ask you to join us tomorrow. And most of all, I ask you to join us in all the tomorrows yet to come, in building Punjab, moving Punjab, and picking-up this State of ours and sending it into the next decades.

369.            Sir, before I resume my seat, I must perform one very necessary and pleasant duty – that is to express my appreciation of the responsible and heavy work zealously performed by the Officers and the staff of the Finance and Planning Department. I refer to them because Hon’ble Members do not see anything of these Officers, because they are completely screened behind official doors and Secretariat literature but I have not allowed them to observe the same seclusion from me, and I am personally able to testify to their great merits.

370.            We have continued to receive throughout the year all possible valuable help from the Accountant General, Punjab. His keen interest in our financial rectitude and welfare has been of the outmost advantage to the State, and I would like to take this opportunity of recording the Government’s gratitude towards him.

371.           Sir, I beg to present to the Assembly the Budget for the year 2021-22.

JAI HIND