Punjab Budget: Rs 17K cr boost for school education

Tribune News Service

Sanjeev Singh Bariana

Chandigarh, March 5

After infrastructure, the state government made the highest allocation of Rs 16,987 crore for the education sector in the Budget proposed by Finance Minister Harpal Cheema today. He underlined the government’s plan of transforming the existing education system, particularly schools.

18 more modern schools to come up

• As many as 18 more state-of-the-art schools will come up
• A special Budget allocation of Rs 100 crore has been earmarked for the project.
• The government announced transforming 100 senior secondary schools into 'Schools of Brilliance and 100 primary schools into 'Schools of Happiness'
• These will provide ideal ventilation, dedicated play areas, resource centres and activity corners.

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Ease-of-doing business: To further enhance ease-of-doing business, the Invest Punjab Business First (IPBF) portal has been strengthened and integrated with the National Single Window Portal

Buoyed by the positive response to 10 Schools of Eminence started by the government after it came to power in March 2022, the government announced that 18 more state-of-the-art schools will come up. A special Budget allocation of Rs 100 crore has been earmarked for the project.

Rs 50l for Ludhiana War Memorial

Under listings for the major new initiatives, Rs 8 crore has been allocated for upgrading of two new galleries on the War Memorial complex in Amritsar, while Rs 50 lakh has been earmarked for the War Museum, Ludhiana. The grant-in-aid to the Punjab Defence and Security Relief Fund is Rs 1 crore.

New wing to promote MSMEs

The government has set up a new MSME wing. This will work to enhance the competitiveness of MSMEs besides ensuring continuous flow of credit from financial institutions for their expansion and innovation. The move is expected to benefit around 8 lakh MSMEs.

Stress on higher education

The Budget makes special mention of funds under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (Rs 80 cr), the CM scholarship for concession in university fees (Rs 6 cr), improvement of infrastructure, sports facilities, library and skill orientation programmes (Rs 10 cr) and sanitary napkins (Rs 5 cr).

In a new innovation for elevating quality of education for transforming rural schools, the government announced transforming 100 senior secondary schools into ‘Schools of Brilliance’. The minister also announced transforming 100 primary schools into ‘Schools of Happiness’. These will provide ideal ventilation, dedicated play areas, resource centres and activity corners.

The Budget has made a special provision for establishing ‘School of Applied Learning’. This will include setting up hi-tech vocational laboratories in 40 schools. The government will commence Mission Samrath for providing primary skills to primary and upper primary school students.

In higher education, the Budget makes special mention of funds under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (Rs 80 crore), CM scholarship for concession in university fees (Rs 6 crore), improvement of infrastructure, sports facilities, library and skill orientation programmes (Rs 10 crore) and sanitary napkins (Rs 5 crore).

In an effort towards promoting technical education, the government has converted five Government Polytechnic Colleges for Women into co-educational institutes with a view to achieving increased admission and enhanced the use of existing infrastructure.

Cheema announced that in the field of medical education, the government constructed the Government State Cancer Institute at Government Medical College, Amritsar, at a cost of Rs 114 crore and Tertiary Cancer Centre, Fazilka, at a cost of Rs 45 crore. The government has also completed the Punjab Institute of Liver and Bilary Sciences at Mohali. OPD services have commenced, the minister said.

The construction of a burn unit, multi-storey residences for the clinical workforce and others and a sports complex is at an advanced stage at Government Medical College, Patiala.

Education Minister Harjot Bains thanked the Finance Minister for increasing the allocation for schools by 11.5 per cent and higher education by 6 per cent.

LEADERSPEAK

Inclusive approach towards growth

The Budget is a step towards carving out “Rangla Punjab” through an inclusive, balanced and comprehensive approach towards development. For the first time, the Budget size has crossed Rs 2 lakh crore. — Bhagwant Mann, Chief minister

Disappointment for all

The Budget has once again disappointed all sections of society, including farmers. The Finance Minister remains unsuccessful in fulfilling even the party’s pre-poll promises. — Partap Bajwa, CLP Leader

Only debt has increased

The figures read out by the FM had nothing concrete for any of the four pillars of Punjab’s social fabric — farmers, women, youngsters and the industry. The only increase that Punjab has witnessed is in the amount of debt. — Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, PPCC Chief

A fraud on Punjabis

The AAP govt has perpetrated a fraud on Punjabis with no allocation for Rs 1,000 per month allowance promised to women and for the old-age pension scheme. It has also allocated measly amounts for other initiatives. — Sukhbir Singh Badal, SAD President

Debt inching towards Rs 4 Lakh crore

A Budget of around Rs 2 lakh crore with an overall debt inching towards Rs 4 lakh crore tells you of the kind of future this government has envisioned for Punjabis. — Sunil Jakhar, State BJP President

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#Harpal Cheema