Punjab Budget 2016-17: Key highlights of budget presented by P.S. Dhindsa

Following are the key highlights of Punjab Budget 2016-17:-

WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT

1. Swasth Kanya Yojna: Provide free school bags containing stationery items to girl students. Bags will contain “benefit eligibility card” showing benefits being provided to girls under various schemes. 70.00
2. Mai Bhago Women Empowerment Scheme: Loan at subsidized rate of 5% per annum to women members to establish small business enterprises. 5.00
3. Construction of 3 new working women hostels in 2016-17. Rs 10.00 crore
4. Utensils to Mahila Mandals, NGOs and Clubs. Rs 79.00 Crore
5. 638 new Anganwadi Centres and 20 Mini Anganwadi Centres Rs 13.00 crore
6. Women safety: Special women patrolling teams. Women safety application, Shakti

YOUTH

7. 200 skill development centres & for training in rural areas. Rs 70.00 crore
8. Employability allowance @ `1000 per month. Rs 40 crore
9. Free sports kits to the youths. Rs 75.00 crore
10. Setting up of 4000 modern open gymnasium centres. Rs 200.00 crore
11. Interest free education loan upto ` 5 lac for the duration of the course to EWS. Rs 20.00 crore
12. Financial Assistance to Start-ups. Rs 100.00 crore\

FARMERS

13. Interest free crop loan of ` 50,000 per crop to small and marginal farmers having land holding up to 5 acres. Rs 200.00 crore
14. Insurance cover of Rs 5 lac shall be provided to the family in case of death or disability of head of the family and family will also be entitled to free medical facility upto ` 50,000 per year, to approximately 11 lac farmers in the State under Bhagat Puran Singh Sehat Bima Yojna. Rs 25.00 crore
15. Farmers Provident Fund-cum-Pension Scheme to provide for secure and stable income to the farmers. Rs 100.00 crore
16. Kisan Vikas Chamber in Mohali district to bridge the gap between the farmers and the policy makers and to redress the problems 20.00 12 in crore Item faced by the farming community.
17. Abolish VAT on raw honey and bee keeping equipment which currently attract tax rate of 6.05%. Pig feed which attracts tax rate of 6.05%, is proposed to be exempted from VAT. –
18. To showcase the innovative initiatives of farmers in these subsidiary occupations, and to motivate others to emulate them suitable awards shall be instituted.

WELFARE

19. SC Scholarship Fund
20. Providing uniforms, school bags and stationery to the children of Scheduled Caste families working as agricultural labourers in the state. Rs 2.50 crore

EDUCATION

21. Upgradation of 400 Middle Schools to High Schools and 400 High Schools to Senior Secondary Schools. Rs 225.00 crore
22. An education channel – Vidya TV being started. Rs 0.50 crore

RURAL DEVELOPMENT

23. Rural Mission. Rs 2000.00 crore
24. Setting up common cremation grounds complete with all basic amenities, instead of separate cremation grounds. Rs 36.75 crore
25. Awarding three Gram Panchayats in each district which have done outstanding work in Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

26. Urban Mission. Rs 6083.00 crore
27. Housing for All (Urban) Policy for the benefit of economically weaker sections. – 50% rebate on CLU, EDC and License•- fee on all affordable housing projects. Additionally, 50% rebate on stamp duty• charges on all conveyance deeds in the affordable housing sector. 25% rebate on CLU, EDC and License• fee on all new housing sector projects coming up in the State. –
28. Reducing the stamp duty by 20% on the first purchase conveyance deed of all new flats. –
INDUSTRY
29. Two Mega Food Parks during the year in the state – one to be set up by Punjab Agro Industries Corporation near Ludhiana, the second is coming up in the private sector – 13 `- ` in crore near Phagwara.
30. To boost industrial production that will create more jobs, power @ 4.99/unit to all new investments for a period of five years from the date they attain commercial production and to the existing industry on their increased additional power consumption.
31. Industrial focal point measuring about 200 acres at village Pabra and Thaktu Majra near Rajpura, district Patiala.
32. Another industrial focal point is also being developed at Dhanansu district Ludhiana on about 300 acres of land. –
33. Encourage local manufacturing sector by suitably amending the state procurement policy. This policy would enable the state government, board and corporations to make purchases of the goods manufactured locally in Punjab. –
EXCISE AND TAXATION
34. Reducing the rate of VAT on cotton and other types of yarns, excluding 100% polyester filament yarn, from 6.05% to 3.63%.
35. “Apna Tax Scheme” for the general public: To encourage customers to procure bills from retail vendors which would ensure tax compliance in a systematic, non-intrusive and non-regulatory manner. –

POWER

36. 1.65 lac tubewell connections will be provided to various categories of AP applicants to whom demand notices have been issued. Rs 100.00 crore
37. Tubwell connections on priority to all those farmers who have applied for the same and have land holding below 2.5 acre. Rs 80.00 crore
38. To replace all the old tubewell pumpsets with energy efficient pumpsets in a tie up with Energy Efficiency Services Limited. –
39. 24 hours Urban Pattern Supply (UPS) to 8,263 deras and dhanies. Rs 102.00 crore

HEALTH

40. To set up 2,000 centres all over the state where 218 essential medicines will be provided free of cost to all patients. In addition, free blood, urine and other basic tests and emergency treatment for the first 24 hours will be provided. –
41. Bhagat Puran Singh Sehat Bima Yojana for providing health insurance cover of Rs 50,000 per annum to 10 lac farmers and 2 lac construction workers & small traders in the year 2016-17. Rs 100.00 Crore
42. Abolish entertainments tax on cultural and theatre shows promoting Punjabi language and culture.
43. 350th Birth Anniversary of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Rs 50.00 Crore
44. Mukh Mantri Tirath Darshan Yatra. Rs 140.00 Crore

PRESERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY

45. Inami Bagh to be acquired and declared as a National Biodiversity Heritage site, first of its kind in the state.

PUBLIC RELATIONS

46. To provide general medical insurance and cashless medical facilities at par with government employees to accredieted and recognized reporters of the state.
47. Two seats will be reserved in A.C. buses run by government for reporters

IRRIGATION

Irrigation undoubtedly forms an important thrust area of this year’s plan. The main focus is to reduce dependence on underground water and utilize surface water for irrigation purposes, by increasing the canal capacity, lining of unlined water courses and construction of low cost dams in hilly areas. An outlay of ₹2,705 crore has been earmarked under Irrigation for the Annual plan 2016-17. The important schemes to be undertaken are:
135 crore – for relining of Rajasthan feeder project (Project Cost is ₹1,352 crore to be completed in 4 years from 2016-20)
100 crore – for relining of Sirhind feeder project (Project Cost is ₹672 crore to be completed in 4 years from 2016-20)
100 crore for rehabilitation of Bist Doab Canal System (Project Cost is ₹270 crore to be completed in 4 years from 2016-20)
14 crore –for rehabilitation of first Patiala feeder and Kotla branch (Project Cost is ₹199 crore – ₹120 crore already spent).
20 crore – for converting Banur canal from non-perennial to perennial.
30 crore – for construction of Shahpur kandi Dam Project (Project Cost is ₹2,286 crore including power component to be completed in three years from 2016-2019).
484 crore – for construction/lining of water courses-which includes (a) ₹300 crore – for construction of field channels of Kotla Branch Part-II (project cost is ₹950 crore to be completed in 2 years from 2016-2018). (b) ₹60 crore- for re-construction of field channels of Sirhind Feeder and Bathinda branch.
298 crore – for anti-water logging and flood protection which includes  (a) ₹240 crore – for anti-water logging measures in South-Western districts of Punjab (project cost is ₹960 crore to be completed in three years from 2016-2019)

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