AAP govt in Punjab to present its first budget on June 27
Darpan News Desk IANS, 07 Jun, 2022 12:17 PM
Chandigarh, June 7 (IANS) The Punjab Cabinet led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday approved summoning of the budget session of the 16th Vidhan Sabha from June 24 with the laying of the budget - the first of the AAP government - on June 27.
A decision in this regard was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Mann here.
The Chief Minister's Office said the Cabinet gave the nod for promulgation of the session from June 24 with obituary references and motion of thanks on the Governor's Address, followed by a discussion on it.
The Finance Minister will present the budget for 2022-23 on June 27 and the general discussion on the budget will take place thereafter. The report of the Comptroller and Auditor General for 2018-19 and 2019-20 along with Financial and Appropriation Accounts for 2019-20 and 2020-21 will also be tabled during the session.
In order to save natural resources in terms of groundwater, besides improving soil health and generating additional income for the farmers, the Cabinet also gave the green signal for providing the minimum support price (MSP) on summer moong at Rs 7,275 per quintal for 2022-23 by Markfed, the state nodal agency for the purchase of crops.
It was also decided to provide viability gap funding to the agency at the rate of Rs 1,875 per quintal, amounting to nearly Rs 66.56 crore.
During the current season, moong is being sown on about 95,000 acres with an expected yield of five quintal per acre. This will help in sowing short duration varieties of paddy which is expected to save 10-20 per cent of underground water thereby conserving the natural resources.
In a much needed succour to street vendors hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Cabinet also decided to waive stamp duty being levied on executing the loan or hypothecation agreement up to Rs 50,000 (third tranche loan) for the street vendors under PM Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme.
In less than 24 hours after his security was curtailed, singer-turned-actor-politician Sidhu Moosewala was shot dead by gangsters close to his ancestral village in Mansa in broad daylight.
Moosewala, 29, was brutally murdered on May 29 by assailants who fired multiple rounds at him near his native village in Punjab's Mansa district. He was rushed to a hospital where the doctors declared him brought dead.
The gangster had moved the high court after a NIA court of Patiala House Court junked his plea on Monday. In the plea, he sought a direction to the Delhi Police and the Tihar Jail authorities to ensure all necessary security arrangements for him.
The decision taken by the government will at least save Rs 35 crore annually, which was incurred on printing of stamp papers, besides facilitating the public to obtain stamp papers in a hassle-free manner.
He was found soaked in blood on the driving seat of the Mahindra Thar SUV. There were two more occupants in the car -- Sidhu's friends, Gurwinder Singh and Gurpreet Singh.
As per the information, Shubhdeep Singh, popularly known as Sidhu Moosewala, who left his house around 4.30 p.m. on Sunday along with two persons -- Gurwinder Singh (neighbour) and Gurpreet Singh (cousin), was shot dead by some unidentified persons.
