Punjab budget session to begin on stormy note today
: The seven day budget session of the Punjab assembly, commencing Tuesday, is likely to be a stormy affair with opposition parties deciding to corner the Congress government over issues such as “pending DA and arrears of employees, regularisation of teachers, lack of development and farmers’ suicides”.
: The seven-day budget session of Punjab Vidhan Sabha will begin on Tuesday with governor’s address and finance minister Punjab Manpreet Singh Badal will present the budget for 2019-20 on February 18.
The session will have two sittings on three days.
Ahead of the parliamentary polls, the budget is expected to be sops heavy, covering different sections of society, particularly employees and the agrarian community. During the session, the reports of comptroller and auditor general will also be discussed.
A day before the start of the session, the principal opposition party — Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) — plans to raise the promises Capt Amarinder Singh had made to the people of Punjab ahead of the 2017 assembly polls. Leader of opposition Harpal Singh Cheema said all sections of the people were suffering due to the “misgovernance”, which was evident from the ongoing protests.
“Amarinder Singh had made tall promises to the people, including the farmers, daily wagers, the youth, prior to the elections, but he has done little to ameliorating their woes after being voted to power,” said Cheema, adding that it was a matter of concern that after two years in power, the government has failed to live up to the people’s aspirations.
Cheema said the AAP will raise the issues related to farmers and farm labourers, Punjabi language, transport mafia, trade, education, women empowerment, MGNREGA, drugs, law and order and employment. Apart from this, the issues related to SSSB test pass candidates, ₹2,500 pension announced by Capt, ₹51,000 ‘shagan’ to girls and higher electricity tariff will also be raised. He said a meeting regarding this was held in Chandigarh on Monday.
SAD DEMANDS 21 OPERATIVE DAYS
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) met Vidhan Sabha speaker Rana KP Singh on Monday, requesting him to hold a three-week operative budget session so that issues of state can be discussed in length.
A SAD delegation, including former ministers Bikram Singh Majithia, Daljit Singh Cheema and former chief parliamentary secretary NK Sharma, met the speaker and submitted a letter, demanding that the seven-day session should be extended to 21 operative days.
Speaking to media, Majithia said farm suicide toll has reached 800 and the issue should be discussed as the victim families were not getting the promised ₹10 lakh compensation.