Punjab: Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Wednesday presented a Rs 2.36 lakh crore budget that focuses on tackling the drug menace in the state and allocated Rs 5,598 crore for the health sector. The budget for the financial year 2025-26 imposed no new taxes. It remained silent on giving Rs 1,000 monthly to women, which was one of the AAP’s election promises before coming to power. This is the fourth budget presented by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, and it prioritises the state’s ongoing efforts to fight drugs through the ‘Yuddh Nashe Viruddh’ (War against Drugs) campaign. During his budget speech in the Punjab Assembly, Cheema spoke about the AAP-led Punjab government’s anti-drug campaign to curb the drug problem.
Cheema said the Punjab government is going to conduct a “drug census” for the first time in the state. He said that this census will cover every household in Punjab and collect data to understand drug prevalence, use of de-addiction centres, etc., besides collecting data about the socio-economic status of the people of Punjab. This data will be used to formulate an effective and scientific strategy to eradicate the drug menace. Cheema also highlighted the state’s efforts to achieve fiscal consolidation. He mentioned that the revenue deficit and fiscal deficit are expected to be 2.51 per cent and 3.84 per cent respectively by the end of the 2025-26 financial year.
