Great expectations

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, June 20

Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal’s Rs 1.18 lakh crore budget for 2017-18 which was presented today, has evoked a mix reaction with several sections of the society finding the budget an initiative towards betterment.

Apart from the loan waiver, the details of which are still unclear to most of the farmers, agricultural experts and farmers wanted the government to do something in the field of crop diversification. In the education sector, the announcement has been applauded. Industrialists also appreciated the Congress government for the announcement to provide power at Rs 5 per unit.

All sectors balanced

The budget of Punjab is a balanced one. It seems the focus is more on the education sector, employment generation and revival of real estate and industry. The opening up of five degree colleges in remote areas is a welcome step to promote higher education among the youth of Punjab which is the need of the hour. The provision of providing free internet facilities to 48 colleges across Punjab will acquaint the teachers and students to have free access to knowledge database. In Punjab, there was a need to bridge the gap between academia and industry. It can be done only if more stress is given on practical knowledge along with theoretical knowledge and designing curriculum by taking into account industrial needs so that our youth is able to compete globally. The announcement of opening up of a skill-based university is a big step to fill this gap and skill-based education will improve the employability skills of our youth.

—Dr Inderpal Singh, Dean, KCLIMT

Education reforms promising

Loan waiver for farmers is a good initiative towards farming reforms as the news of farmers committing suicides due to their inability to repay their debts has become rampant. I think the government has made another step towards education reforms with an announcement of providing computers at government primary schools and to provide tablets to engineering students. The negative thing I observed was to allow hotels and bars on highways to serve liquor. It should have remained prohibited.

—Prof Parveen Kakkar

Clarity needed on loan waiver

The loan waiver of farmers seems a positive agenda towards farming reforms as farmers have been committing suicides like every day. However, it has not been made clear that loans from which institution would be waived, whether it includes only cooperate society loans or loans from banks. Besides this, the government should have announced something on crop diversification. The government has been discouraging farmers from opting wheat-paddy crop cycle and has also not announced the minimum support price (MSP) on other farming products. The government has also failed to do something on depleting water table in the state, which is a major concern for farmers.

—Sulakhan Singh, farmer

Pro-industry budget

The budget so far appears to be pro industry as they industrialists suffered awfully in the previous regime. The stamp duty has been decreased from 9 per cent to 6 per cent. On the other hand, the government has announced to bring 16 industrial parks in the state, which is a welcome step. Moreover, providing power to the industry at Rs 5 per unit is a very brave announcement. I believe that the government must fulfill whatever it had said in the election manifesto to save the dying industry of Punjab.

—Gursharan Singh, industrialist

Farm labourers ignored

Landless labourers and Dalits have been completely ignored by the government in the budget. Farm labourers have been suffering the most and therefore the loan of landless labourers should also have been waived along with that of farmers. Nothing had been mentioned about the loan taken by farmers from private money lenders. Both the Centre and state governments have turned a blind eye towards the basic issues of the people. The only solution to the problems of farmers and landless labourers is to constitute such policies that they are not required to take heavy loans.

Mangat Ram Pasla, RMPI leader

Lacks direction

The maiden budget of the Congress Government is directionless and does not match with the promises made in the election manifesto and the announcement of Rs 2 lakh loan waiver made by Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on the floor of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha as the provisions made in the Budget are too meager. Sunil Jakhar, PPCC president must apologise to the people because as the leader of the opposition, he had raised the false bogey of a Rs 31,000 crore wheat scam as the white paper released by Congress government does not even hint at it. The government has blamed the Centre for the huge liability facing the state when it was the UPA that was in power at the Centre for 10 years—from 2004 to 2014.

Manoranjan Kalia, former BJP MLA

Opposition must introspect

Capt Amarinder Singh has done what was possible to do in three months. No one can do anything more. I advise the SAD-BJP coalition and the AAP to first judge themselves. By waiving the Rs 2 lakh debt of farmers, making education for girls from nursery to PhD and making the youth employable, the Amarinder Singh government has established an example in the country. Therefore, the Akalis should salute the government.

Dinesh Dhall, senior Congress leader

Impressive initiatives

The budget largely sends positive signals for students. The step to keep 24 per cent of funds for education and promises to build 8,000 classrooms in the next two years are impressive developments. It will go a long way to give fillip to education. —Yuvraj, student