Chandigarh: The finance minister of Punjab, Manpreet Badal presented a tax free deficit budget of Rs 118237.9 crore budget for the year 2017-18.

Chandigarh: The finance minister of Punjab, Manpreet Badal presented a tax free deficit budget of Rs 118237.9 crore budget for the year 2017-18. In the first budget of the ruling Congress government, Manpreet Badal disclosed the total receipts Rs 105514.84 crore and the revenue deficit is Rs 14784.87 crore. The finance minister claimed that the budget is entirely focusing on social and educational sectors. 

Manpreet Badal mentions in his budget proposals that one can build roads and infrastructure, but needs to focus on education and social development also. In a resentment, the AAP MLAs walked out in protest against Zero Hour not bring allowed.

The fiscal deficit revealed by the finance minister is Rs 23.092 crore. Fulfilling the commitment for the farmers, Manpreet Badal announced Rs 1500 crore for the farm loan waiver and Rs 10 crore for the smart phones.

The farm loan waiver and the smart phone points were the centre stage of the Congress party during its poll campaign and even the two points were the major points in the party’s manifesto. Congress party government has tried to please the farmers and the youth in its first manifesto. The grant for Panjab University increased from Rs 26 crore to Rs 33 crore. Stamp and registration fee in urban areas brought down from 9 per cent to 6 per cent.