Patiala to get Smart City tag: Govt

Our Correspondent

Patiala, June 20

In the Budget tabled by Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, the native city of CM Capt Amarinder Singh has got its due.

Besides the announcement of developing Patiala as Smart City, the state government has allotted a dedicated sports university in Patiala. Mohindra College, Patiala, is also named among the five colleges across the state which has been selected for renovation purposes under the historic colleges by the Punjab government.

To reinstate the Royal touch, the state government has also decided to restart 'heritage festival' to inculcate the traditions of culture of Punjab.

Amidst the allegations of Opposition parties, some of the experts have also raised questions over the practical implementation of provisions of the Budget.

Professor Jaswinder Singh Brar from the Economics Department of Punjabi University said, "The government should have increased the education Budget to minimum 20 per cent, which is the only way to save the educational system of Punjab."

 He said most of the existing educational institutes were facing financial crises which could pose a threat to the education system in the future. "Despite opening of new colleges and universities, the government should provide financial aid to the existing universities to offer quality education to students," Brar said.

Jagtar Singh, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Khalsa College, said, "With the provisions of the Budget, the Congress government has cleared its intentions to fulfill the party promises which they had enlisted in their poll manifesto."

"Though it is an appreciable move, the government should also pay attention towards the fiscal condition of the state. Capt Amarinder Singh-led government has presented the 'White Paper' which claimed the bleak financial condition of the state. But on the other side, the government has opened the coffers to fulfill their pre-poll promises," Prof said.

Highlights

• The amount given under the 'Aashirwad Scheme' has been increased from Rs 15,000 to Rs 21,000
•  Rs 17.66 crore has been kept for the Punjab Scheduled Castes Corporation and Rs 2.44 crore for BACKFINCO to provide loans at easy rates to youths hailing from the SC/BC and minority sections
• The crop compensation amount for farmers has been increased from Rs 8,000 to Rs 12,000 
• A proposal has been kept in the Budget to waive off the loans of the SC/BC and minority sections to the tune of Rs 50,000