Chandigarh : As the government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann completes five months in office, five cabinet ministers holding key ministries,held a joint press conference to present a record of their performance.
Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains, Health Minister Chetan Singh Jodemajra, Agriculture Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, and Power & PWD Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO listed out a string of achievements and promises fulfilled so far.
Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that among the main achievements of the Chief Minister Bhagwant Man led government is the earmarking of a lion's share, that is 35.06 percent of total budget for 9 major key departments of Health and Family Welfare, Medical Education and Research, Education (School and Higher), Technical Education, Home Affairs, Cooperation, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, and Social Security, Women and Child Development for this financial year.
Stating that Punjab Government is putting in honest efforts to improve the fiscal health of the state, Cheema said that the government has returned the loan amounting to Rs. 12339 crore including the principal amount of Rs. 6349 crore and interest on loan Rs 5989 Crore, while the loan of Rs. 10729 crore rupees was availed during this period.
Cheema further added that Mann Government has paid Rs 525 Crore to bailout Punjab State Agriculture Cooperative Bank (PSACB), 188.01 crore for payment to pensioner of PSACB, Rs. 200 crore for payment to sugarcane farmer, Rs. 100 crore out of total Rs. 350 crore to Food and Civil Supplies to bailout PUNSUP, Rs. 66.56 crore out of Rs. 100 crore to the Agricultural and farmers welfare department for Moong Dal cultivation (Gap funding to MARKFED) and Rs. 5341.34 crore out of Rs. 15843.63 crore to the Power department for power subsidy payment to PSPCL.
Finance Minister said that Punjab Government has focused on improving the state revenue while making its maximum utilization for the welfare of the people of the state only. A target of 27 percent of the growth in GST collection was set for FY 2022-23, during the first four months the state achieved 24.15 percent growth with a collection of 7243 crores of GST, said Cheema while adding that the collection of GST will increase during the festive season.
Sharing the success story of the new excise police, Finance Minister said that with the new excise policy the Mann government collected Rs. 3108.17 crore whereas the previous government collected Rs 2166.48 for the same period during FY 2021-22. He said that the Aam Aadmi government registered excise growth of 43.47 percent by putting a full stop on the liquor mafia.
Agriculture, Rural Development and NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, while presenting the five-month report card of the Bhagwant Mann government said that the Punjab government has ordered the audit of the private Sugar Mills to find out sugarcane arrival and production of Sugar. He said that it has been decided to conduct an audit of private sugar mills to gather complete details about the sugar mills. He said that NRI Punjabis are contacting him to contribute to the development of the state for which a new policy will be introduced next week, a special trust is being established by the Punjab government, in which NRIs will be able to contribute and the money from this trust will be spent on improving health and education facilities in the state.