CHANDIGARH, 3rd March 2026:

Punjab Finance, Excise and Taxation Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Tuesday said that under the leadership of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, Punjab has emerged among the top three states in the country for remarkable achievements in revenue growth, asserting that the state’s financial performance over the past four years reflects structural reform, fiscal discipline and administrative transparency. Addressing a press conference at Punjab Bhawan, Harpal Singh Cheema presented detailed data to underline what he described as a decisive turnaround in Punjab’s fiscal health.

Addressing a press conference, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said, “Punjab’s own tax revenue has surged significantly, rising from ₹37,327 crore, which was 6.39% of the Gross State Domestic Product in 2021-22, to an impressive ₹57,919 crore, accounting for 7.15% of the Gross State Domestic Product in 2024-25.”

Presenting figures on excise collections, the Excise and Taxation Minister noted that excise revenue has increased by 86.77% in less than four years. He said, “During the five-year tenure of the SAD-BJP government, total excise collection was ₹20,545 crore with an annual average of ₹4,109 crore. The subsequent Congress government collected ₹27,395 crore over five years, averaging ₹5,479 crore annually. In stark contrast, the AAP government has already amassed ₹37,975 crore up to January 2026, achieving a staggering annual average of ₹9,907 crore. Furthermore, excise revenue in 2021-22 under the Congress regime was ₹6,157 crore, whereas it is expected to reach ₹11,500 crore in the financial year 2025-26. As a percentage of the state’s Gross State Domestic Product, excise revenue has grown from 1.05% in 2021-22 to 1.28% in 2024-25.”

Highlighting performance under the GST (Goods and Services Tax) regime, Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said similar success has been recorded in GST collections. He said, “The previous Congress administration relied heavily on GST compensation and failed to take concrete steps to broaden the tax base. Their five-year total stood at ₹61,286 crore, averaging ₹12,257 crore annually.”

He further stated, “The AAP government, however, has collected ₹83,739 crore up to January 2026, pushing the annual average to ₹21,845 crore. State GST revenue, which was ₹15,542 crore in 2021-22, is projected to surpass ₹26,500 crore in 2025-26. Despite the rationalization under GST 2.0, the state recorded a massive 70.50% growth in its GST revenue.”

Turning to land and property registrations, Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said revenue from stamp duty has also witnessed a historic rise. He said, “During the Congress tenure 2017-22, stamp duty collections saw an increase of less than 1 percent compared to the preceding Akali Dal government 2012-17. The SAD-BJP government collected a total of ₹12,387 crore averaging ₹2,477 crore annually, while the Congress managed only ₹12,469 crore averaging ₹2,494 crore annually.”

He added, “Conversely, the AAP administration has generated ₹19,515 crore by January 2026, with an annual average of ₹5,091 crore. This indicates that in just four years, the AAP government collected 60 percent more stamp duty than the five-year terms of previous governments. At this accelerated pace, the revenue is expected to double the Congress era’s total by the 2026-27 financial year.”

Emphasizing the government’s commitment to development, Harpal Singh Cheema said Punjab has recorded a historic boost in capital expenditure. He said, “Over five years, the SAD-BJP government spent ₹14,641 crore, and the Congress government spent ₹19,356 crore on capital expenditure. The AAP government is going to spend ₹31,630 crore.”

Addressing the inherited debt burden, Minister Harpal Singh Cheema asserted, “The AAP government received a legacy debt of approximately ₹3,00,000 crore. Because of this massive historical burden, 35 percent of all new loans taken are utilized simply to clear the liabilities left by previous governments. Another 50 percent of the debt goes toward paying interest on older loans. Consequently, less than 15 percent of the borrowed funds are actually available for the AAP government to use for the state.”

Despite these constraints, he said the government has reduced the Debt-to-Gross State Domestic Product ratio from 48.25% to 44.47%. Harpal Singh Cheema said, “The AAP government has allocated ₹7,000 to ₹8,000 crore for implementing the Pay Commission and clearing ₹14,191 crore in Pay Commission arrears pending from 2016 to 2021. Furthermore, ₹2,566 crore was spent to bail out financially distressed state entities like PUNSUP, Land Mortgage Bank, PSIDC, and the Mandi Board.”

He further said that the government has paid ₹1,750 crore to clear arrears of central schemes left unpaid by the Congress administration.

Outlining long-term fiscal safeguards, Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said, “The AAP government has made substantial investments in the Consolidated Sinking Fund and Guarantee Redemption Fund maintained with the RBI. As of March 31, 2022, the state had only ₹3,027 crore in the Consolidated Sinking Fund and nothing in the Guarantee Redemption Fund. By December 2025, these reserves have swelled to ₹10,738 crore in the Consolidated Sinking Fund and ₹982 crore in the Guarantee Redemption Fund, bringing the total to ₹11,720 crore.”

He added, “This represents an overall increase of ₹8,693 crore, a staggering 287% growth in less than four years. This proactive investment acts as a buffer against any sudden financial crises and aids in systematically retiring state debt.”

Minister Harpal Singh Cheema stated these improvements were achieved despite a sharp decline in central support. He said, “Between 2017 and 2022, the Congress government received ₹17,740 crore in Revenue Deficit grants and ₹54,600 crore in GST compensation, totaling ₹72,340 crore. In contrast, the current government has received only ₹15,887 crore in Revenue Deficit grants and ₹11,945 crore in GST compensation totaling ₹27,832 crore up to January 2026.”

He added that the present government received 62% less in Revenue Deficit grants and GST compensation compared to the previous government, and these grants have now been completely halted.

Concluding the press conference, Minister Harpal Singh Cheema highlighted digital and administrative reforms aimed at enhancing transparency and efficiency in treasury operations. He said the Finance Department launched the ‘Pension Seva Portal’ to digitize the entire pension distribution system and implemented an ‘e-Deposit Management System’ to tackle banking fraud and enhance transparency. He said, “Additionally, the state achieved a major milestone by receiving over ₹800 crore as an incentive for effectively digitizing schemes through the SNA-SPARSH initiative.”

CHANDIGARH, March 3:

Addressing a press conference held at Punjab Bhawan, Minister for Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities of Punjab, Dr Baljit Kaur on Tuesday said the Punjab Government has implemented a sensitive, transparent and people centric welfare model through the Department of Social Security, Women and Child Development and the Department of Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities, ensuring that almost every household in the state benefits from one scheme or another, especially senior citizens, women, children, persons with disabilities, Scheduled Castes, Backward Classes and other marginalised communities.

Detailing support for the elderly, Dr Baljit Kaur stated, “At present, 23,62,579 needy senior citizens are receiving a monthly pension of ₹1500 through Direct Benefit Transfer directly into their bank accounts within the first week of every month.”

She added that strict monitoring led to the removal of ineligible and deceased beneficiaries, resulting in recovery of ₹170 crore. Two modern old age homes at Tapa and Mansa have been made operational at a cost of ₹17.33 crore, providing accommodation, food, clothing, healthcare and mental wellbeing support, while NGOs working for senior citizens have received grants worth ₹11.43 crore.

Referring to the “Sada Buzurg Sada Maan” campaign, she added that district level camps launched in 2024 strengthened the physical and mental health of senior citizens, with over 20,000 elderly persons participating in 2024 and again more than 20,000 this year, availing healthcare support, legal aid and assistive devices.

Emphasising women empowerment, the cabinet minister continued, “Under the free bus travel facility for women, an expenditure of ₹2042 crore has been incurred, enabling women to access education, employment and healthcare without financial barriers.” She informed that five Working Women Hostels, three in Mohali and one each in Jalandhar and Amritsar, are under construction at a cost of ₹150 crore and will be completed within the year, with crèche facilities to support working mothers.

Strengthening grassroots delivery, she said 4,377 Anganwadi Workers and Helpers were recruited in 2023 through a transparent process and recruitment of 6,110 more will be completed shortly to enhance nutrition services and early childhood care. She added that menstrual hygiene is being promoted through sanitary pad distribution via over 27,000 Anganwadi Centres and that 6.48 lakh widows, divorced, deserted and low income women are receiving ₹1500 monthly pension without interruption.

On maternity and child welfare, Dr Baljit Kaur shared, “Against a central target of 2,94,288 beneficiaries under Matru Vandana Yojana, Punjab covered 4,22,492 women over four years. Over 1000 new Anganwadi Centres have been constructed, dilapidated buildings repaired and 100 Saksham Anganwadi Centres are being developed in Moga and Ferozepur with modern facilities, while training was imparted to all Anganwadi Workers at a cost of ₹10 crore to promote play based learning.”

Highlighting child protection, she added that under Mission Jeevanjyot, children found begging were rescued and enrolled in schools with continuous monitoring. She informed that 165 child marriage cases were detected over four years, 150 were prevented and FIRs registered in 15 cases, while the sponsorship scheme expanded from around 1,700 beneficiaries earlier to nearly 11,000 children, each receiving ₹4000 per month. “Adoption services were strengthened in 16 districts, resulting in 138 successful adoptions including 26 inter country adoptions,” she added.

On support for vulnerable groups, the Punjab minister shared, “2,94,440 dependent children are receiving ₹1500 monthly pension and a dedicated Disability Cell has been established for single window assistance. The ₹1000 monthly disability assistance was restored, disability employees were exempted from night duties and long distance postings on request, and pension for acid attack victims was enhanced from ₹8000 to ₹10,000 per month and made gender neutral. Free bus travel has been extended to attendants of visually impaired persons and sign language interpretation was introduced for the first time during a Punjab Vidhan Sabha session.”

She added that Post matric scholarships worth ₹1943 crore were disbursed over the past four years. Backlogs from 2017 to 2020 were cleared by releasing ₹366 crore to private colleges and ₹92 crore to government institutions, enabling students to receive pending degrees. The Dr B R Ambedkar Scholarship Portal and Free Ship Card system were launched to ensure transparency and fee free admissions, increasing beneficiaries to nearly 2.7 lakh students annually.

She further said that under the Ashirwad Scheme, ₹51,000 marriage assistance is being provided irrespective of caste, with ₹1023 crore released so far, while ₹100 crore has been released under the Adarsh Gram Yojana for development in Scheduled Caste dominated villages and ₹6 crore long pending dues under the inter caste marriage incentive scheme have been cleared.

Concluding, Dr Baljit Kaur stated, “The Punjab Government remains firmly committed to ensuring that every welfare scheme reaches the rightful beneficiary on time and with complete transparency, enabling every citizen of Punjab to live with dignity, security and equal opportunity.”

Punjab’s Minister for Industries & Commerce, Investment Promotion, Power and Local Government, Sanjeev Arora, today announced a landmark investment of ₹460 crore by a joint venture between SSB Group and Mahindra Group in the hospitality sector of Punjab.

The investment will be undertaken under the banner of Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Limited, marking the company’s first-ever investment in Punjab.

The Minister informed that the project will generate approximately 700 employment opportunities, significantly strengthening the local economy.

 Project Details

The development will comprise three major components:

₹300 crore investment in a premium Resort

₹50 crore investment in the largest convention centre ever in the region, spread over 90,000 sq. ft.

₹110 crore investment in a hotel near the Golden Temple in Amritsar

The Resort and Convention Centre will be developed at Village Khasa on Wagah Road, Amritsar, spanning approximately 15 acres of land.

Existing Presence of SSB Group

Sanjeev Arora stated that SSB Group currently operates three hotel properties in Amritsar with around 120 rooms across its hospitality portfolio:

Hotel Fortune Ranjit Vihar

Regenta Inn

Regenta Central

Boost to Tourism & MICE Sector

The Minister emphasized that the 90,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art Convention Centre will significantly boost MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions) tourism in Punjab. With Amritsar being one of India’s most prominent spiritual and heritage destinations, the project will position the city as a leading destination for large-scale national and international events, destination weddings, and corporate conventions.

Reiterating the Punjab Government’s commitment to fostering a pro-investment environment, Sanjeev Arora stated that the entry of Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Limited into Punjab reflects growing investor confidence in the state’s progressive industrial policies and ease of doing business framework.

CHANDIGARH, March 3:

          As the decisive ‘Gangstran Te Vaar’ campaign launched under the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann enters its 42nd day, Punjab Police on Tuesday conducted 471 raids at the at identified and mapped locations linked to associates of gangsters across the state.

          As per the information, the “Gangstran Te Vaar”— a decisive war to make Punjab a gangster-free state was launched by the Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav on January 20, 2026. Police teams from all the districts in coordination with Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) Punjab has been conducting special operations across the state.

          On Day 42, Police teams arrested 148 individuals and recovered two weapons from their possession, taking the total arrests to 12,433 since the launch of the campaign.

 Apart from this, preventive action has been taken against 70 persons, whereas, 108 persons were verified and released after questioning. Police teams have also arrested one proclaimed offender (POs) during the operation.

          People can anonymously report information related to wanted criminals and gangsters, and also share tips on crime and criminal activity, through the Anti Gangster Helpline number 93946-93946.

          Meanwhile, Police teams have continued its drive against drugs “Yudh Nashian Virudh” for 367th day with 87 drug smugglers arrested on Tuesday and recovered 1.1 kg heroin, 2 kg poppy husk, 408 intoxicant tablets/capsules and Rs 17,950 drug money from their possession. With this, the number of total drug smugglers arrested has reached to 52,009 in just 367 days. As part of De-addiction, the Punjab Police has convinced 39 persons to undergo de-addiction and rehabilitation treatment today.

Chandigarh:

With a significant number of Punjabis stranded amid the escalating Middle East conflict, NRI Affairs Minister Dr Ravjot Singh on Tuesday met Union Civil Aviation Minister K R Naidu and sought immediate launch of rescue flights, operation of special aircraft and a cap on “exploitative” airfares to ensure their safe and swift return. “There is an urgent need to resume flights and operate special evacuation services. Our people cannot be left stranded in this crisis,” he asserted.

Highlighting the hardships being faced by the Punjabi diaspora due to the ongoing conflict and regional instability in the Middle East, Dr Ravjot Singh stated, “A significant portion of Punjab’s population resides and works in various Middle Eastern countries. The cancellation of numerous scheduled flights has left many of our NRI brothers and sisters stranded, while their families back home are in deep distress.”

He urged the Union Minister to coordinate with airlines to restore operations on all safe corridors and operate special aircraft to clear the backlog of passengers. “Many essential routes have been suspended, creating a massive backlog of travellers. There is an urgent need to resume flights and operate special evacuation or relief flights for those stuck in high tension zones or those needing to return home for emergencies,” he said.

Raising the issue of rising ticket prices, Dr Ravjot Singh added, “It has been observed that due to the reduced frequency of flights, several airlines have increased their fares to exploitative levels. I request you to implement a price cap on these routes to prevent the financial exploitation of citizens during this crisis.”

Speaking to the media after the meeting, the Punjab minister revealed that Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann also had a telephonic conversation with K R Naidu during the meeting and urged that the state government be allowed to arrange special flights to bring Punjabis back home safely without delay. “The Chief Minister has conveyed deep concern over the situation and requested that Punjab be permitted to arrange special flights, if required, to ensure the safe evacuation of our people,” he said.

Dr Ravjot Singh further stated that the Union Civil Aviation Minister has assured that the concerns raised by the Punjab Government will be considered on priority. “The Union Government is already working on the matter as Indian citizens from several states are stranded in Gulf countries,” he added.

The NRI Affairs Minister also visited the facilitation centre set up by the Punjab Government at IGI Airport to ensure all necessary assistance for Punjabis returning from Gulf countries.

The minister shared, “The Punjab Government has already announced a 24×7 helpline to assist stranded Punjabis. Families can call 0172 2260042, 0172 2260043 or send a WhatsApp message to +91 94787 79112 for immediate support. A high level team headed by ADGP R K Jaiswal has also been constituted to monitor the situation.”

He asserted that the state government is making every possible effort to ensure the safe return of Punjabis. “Under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, we are fully committed to extending every support to our people in this hour of crisis,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Dr Ravjot Singh convened a video conference with Deputy Commissioners of all districts across Punjab and directed them to prominently display district level helpline numbers to assist Punjabis stranded abroad. “All inquiries received at the district level regarding stranded Punjabis must be handled with utmost responsibility, diligence and sincerity to ensure timely and effective support,” he directed.

Principal Resident Commissioner, Punjab Bhawan, New Delhi, Dr S Karuna Raju was also present during the meeting.

Chandigarh,  March 3

Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan expressed grief over the demise of  renowned former Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court Vijender Jain. His unwavering dedication towards Judiciary will always inspire us and remain in our heart.

Speaker Sandhwan  deeply saddened to hear the news of his passing away and he prayed to the God to grant peace to the departed soul. Almighty may give strength to the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss in this hour of distress.

Chandigarh, March 2

Reaffirming the State’s long-term development roadmap, Haryana Chief Minister,  Sh. Nayab Singh Saini, who also holds the portfolio of Finance Minister, on Monday presented the 12th consecutive State Budget of the government during the ongoing session of State Vidhan Sabha.  While presenting  the State budget  2026-27, the Chief  Minister reiterated  his government’s firm commitment to transform Haryana into a one trillion dollar economy by 2047.

Describing the 2026–27 Budget as far more than a statement of income and expenditure, Sh. Nayab Singh Saini said it is a comprehensive vision document aimed at building a “Viksit Haryana” in alignment with the national vision of Viksit Bharat. He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister, Sh. Narendra Modi India is rapidly emerging as one of the world’s leading economies, and Haryana, inspired by the same resolve and momentum, is moving ahead to scale new heights of development.

Sh. Nayab Singh Saini said that the target of making Haryana a one trillion dollar economy by 2047 has been formally set, and the Haryana Vision Document–2047 will serve as the guiding framework in this direction. He emphasized that the Budget has been prepared through extensive public consultation. Meetings held across the State with various sections of society yielded 2,199 suggestions, while nearly 12,400 suggestions were received through an AI chatbot. Of these, approximately 5,000 suggestions have been incorporated into the Budget proposals. He asserted that this is truly a Budget shaped by the people of Haryana.

While presenting the financial proposals, Sh. Nayab Singh Saini placed five key points before the House, stating that their impact would extend beyond the current fiscal year and remain visible in State Budgets up to 2031. Referring to the recommendations of the 16th Finance Commission, he said Haryana’s share in central taxes for the period 2026 to 2031 has been increased to 1.361 per cent, reflecting a historic growth of 24.52 per cent over the previous period. He further shared that this is the highest increase among all 28 States in the country and termed it a strong testament to the effectiveness of the double-engine government, highlighting the direct benefits of coordinated policies between the Centre and the State.

He further elaborated that Haryana’s share in central taxes stood at 1.075 per cent during 2005–10 and declined to 1.048 per cent during 2010–15, when the State ranked 20th nationally in terms of growth. During 2015–20, the share rose to 1.084 per cent, improving the State’s ranking to 17th. As per the recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission, the share further increased to 1.093 per cent during 2021–26. Now, under the 16th Finance Commission’s recommendations, the share will rise significantly to 1.361 per cent for 2026–31, marking the highest growth among all States.

Sh. Nayab Singh Saini further explained that when viewed in the context of the 2026–27 Budget, the rise in central tax share becomes even more significant. In 2005–06, out of Haryana’s total revenue of Rs. 13,853 crore, the State received Rs. 1,201 crore from central taxes, accounting for only 8.7 per cent of total revenue. In 2014–15, despite total revenue increasing to Rs. 40,799 crore, the share from central taxes remained at 8.7 per cent, amounting to Rs. 3,548 crore. By 2024–25, the share from central taxes had increased to 13.2 per cent of total revenue, and in the current year it is projected to rise further to 14.2 per cent.

Highlighting major externally aided initiatives, Sh. Nayab Singh Saini informed that under the Haryana Clean Air Project, the World Bank has approved financial assistance of Rs. 2,716 crore. He added that approval of Rs. 5,715 crore for Water Secure Haryana and Rs. 474 crore for the Haryana AI Mission is expected from the World Bank shortly. In addition, a provision of Rs. 1,837.65 crore has been made under the “Foresight Annex” initiative for four departments to make them future-ready.

Sh. Nayab Singh Saini also announced that in line with the objectives of the Haryana Vision Document–2047, all forthcoming State Budgets will be gender-responsive and focused on senior citizens, ensuring inclusive and balanced development. He reiterated that the 2026–27 Budget reflects Haryana’s aspiration to align with India’s rise as a leading global economy and represents a decisive step towards achieving the goal of a one trillion dollar State economy by 2047.

Shimla, February 28, 2026: Minister of State for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Shripad Yesso Naik, has said that approximately 55 million smart prepaid meters have been installed across the country under the Restructured Distribution Area Scheme (RDSS). In 2023, the central government launched this scheme with an outlay of ₹3,03,758 crore for the period 2021-22 to 2025-26.

It’s worth noting that smart meters are also being installed in Himachal Pradesh under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), a central government scheme.

The Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited began installing smart meters in Shimla and Dharamshala in 2019 under the Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS). The project planned to install a total of 151,740 smart meters, of which 118,581 were proposed in Shimla and 33,159 in Dharamshala. The project was completed in 2022-23. 

Now, under the RDSS, all 28 lakh meters are to be gradually replaced with smart meters, and to date, approximately  8 lakh smart meters have been installed in Himachal Pradesh.

Shri Shripad Yesonak stated that the central government’s objective in launching this scheme is to reduce technical and commercial losses in the power system, improve the financial health of DISCOMS , eliminate the average cost of supply-average revenue realized (ACSARR) gap, and improve billing accuracy. This initiative aims to replace conventional meters with  20 crore prepaid smart meters. He further stated that this initiative aims to modernize the distribution sector.

The scheme aims to install  2 crore smart meters to improve revenue and operational efficiency. He stated that smart metering is one of the most transformative components of this reform agenda. He explained that smart meters enable real-time energy accounting, accurate billing, reduced human intervention, and greater consumer empowerment. Prepaid functionality reduces financial pressure on distribution companies and lowers power costs. Minister Shripad Yesonak stated that smart meters provide high-resolution data, which is essential for using AI to predict demand and manage dynamic electricity load patterns, with the growing demand for rooftop solar and electric vehicles.

To date, more than 55 million meters have been installed in the country. States like Bihar and Maharashtra are leading the way, while others like Odisha have made slower progress. He noted that former Union Energy Minister R.K. Singh had previously emphasized the need to make smart prepaid meters mandatory within three years to eliminate the hand-billed payment system. The Energy Ministry emphasizes that this change will transform the electricity sector from a reactive to a productive, smart network in every state, including the hilly states of India. He emphasized the need to increase the use of technology to manage electricity loads.