Chandigarh: Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Sunday presented the 2026–27 Budget of Punjab in the state Assembly, describing it as a plan aimed at delivering on the promises made by the ruling Aam Aadmi Party government.
The Budget presentation coincided with International Women’s Day and marked a rare occasion as it was presented on a Sunday — the first time such an event has taken place in the history of the state’s Vidhan Sabha. Cheema began his speech by congratulating women across Punjab and said the Budget had been designed with a strong emphasis on social welfare.
The total size of the state Budget for the 2026–27 financial year has been estimated at Rs 2,60,437 crore.
Major push for women welfare
A significant portion of the Budget focuses on programmes aimed at supporting women. The government announced the ‘Mukh Mantri Mawan Dhiyan Satikar Yojana’, which proposes financial assistance of Rs 1,000 per month for women, while Dalit women will receive Rs 1,500 monthly under the scheme. Officials estimate that nearly 97 percent of women in the state could qualify under the eligibility criteria.
The scheme alone has been allocated Rs 9,300 crore. In addition, the government confirmed the continuation of the free bus travel facility for women with a budget of Rs 600 crore.
Other welfare measures include Rs 932 crore under the Integrated Child Development Services programme and Rs 65 crore for the ‘Navi Disha’ initiative that will provide free sanitary pads to adolescent girls.
Overall, the state has earmarked Rs 18,304 crore for women-related welfare and empowerment programmes, which the government says is the largest allocation in Punjab’s history and almost double last year’s amount.
Healthcare expansion planned
The Budget also places strong emphasis on healthcare infrastructure. Around Rs 2,000 crore has been set aside for the ‘Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojana’, which aims to provide health insurance coverage of up to Rs 10 lakh to about 65 lakh families.
The government plans to expand its network of Aam Aadmi Clinics by opening 143 additional facilities and upgrading 308 existing health sub-centres into these clinics. A total of Rs 351 crore has been allocated for the expansion.
Authorities also proposed establishing a modern trauma centre along with a dedicated mother-and-child hospital in Anandpur Sahib.
Education sector receives higher funding
The education sector will receive Rs 19,279 crore, reflecting a seven percent increase compared to the previous year. During the speech, Cheema said Punjab had performed strongly in learning outcomes and highlighted the government’s next major initiative, ‘Sikhiya Kranti 2.0’.
The programme, expected to run over the next six years with support from the World Bank, aims to improve school infrastructure and overall learning standards.
The government has also approved plans in principle to establish a university dedicated to Guru Tegh Bahadur at Anandpur Sahib. For technical and higher education initiatives, Rs 569 crore has been allocated.
Agriculture remains key priority
Agriculture, considered the backbone of Punjab’s economy, has been allocated Rs 15,377 crore — about six percent higher than last year’s outlay.
The Budget includes funds to promote Direct Seeding of Rice, crop diversification programmes encouraging maize cultivation, and subsidies worth Rs 600 crore to tackle stubble burning. The power subsidy for farmers alone stands at Rs 7,715 crore.
Additionally, a Rs 1,300 crore initiative will promote climate-resilient horticulture crops across the state.
Development funds for constituencies
The government also announced that each Assembly constituency would receive Rs 10 crore under the Rangla Punjab Vikas Fund to support local development projects. The overall allocation under the fund has been doubled to Rs 1,170 crore in the coming financial year.
With the next Assembly elections approaching, the Budget marks the fifth and final financial plan presented by the AAP government in its current term.
