Governor Kataria's address opens session as opposition protests government performance and policies.
Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria addresses a press conference, in Chandigarh on Friday
CHANDIGARH: The Budget session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha began on Friday with Governor Gulab Chand Kataria delivering the inaugural address, but proceedings witnessed early disruption as the Opposition staged a walkout while raising objections to the functioning of the State Government.
The 11-day session is expected to see sharp exchanges between the ruling Aam Aadmi Party government and the Opposition over issues such as rising public debt and the law and order situation in the state. The government is set to present its fifth and final budget before the next Assembly elections.
Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema is scheduled to present the Budget proposals on Sunday, coinciding with International Women's Day. This will be the first time in the history of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha that the Budget will be presented on a Sunday.
During his address, Governor Kataria outlined several initiatives undertaken by the state government across sectors including agriculture, education, infrastructure and welfare. He said nearly 90 per cent of households in Punjab had benefited from the government's scheme of providing up to 300 units of free electricity.
The Governor also said the government had ensured daytime power supply to farmers, enabling them to work during regular hours instead of irrigating fields in the early hours of the morning. Highlighting agriculture initiatives, he said the government had increased the State Agreed Price for sugarcane by Rs 15 per quintal to Rs 416 per quintal, which he described as the highest in the country. He also said 2,680 km had already been completed. Governor Kataria further said the Punjab Mandi Board had undertaken a large project for the upgrade and modernisation of damaged roads at a cost of Rs 12,897 crore.
In the education sector, he said that under the Punjab Shiksha Kranti initiative the government had recruited 13,765 teachers since 2022 and sent 234 principals and education officers for leadership development programmes to Singapore, IIM Ahmedabad and Turku in Finland. He added that Punjab emerged as the top performer in the Parakh Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024.
However, the session saw protests soon after it began. Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa raised objections to the functioning of the government during the Governor's address. Congress MLAs later entered the Well of the House, raised slogans against the state government and staged a walkout within minutes of the proceedings.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu criticised the ruling party for holding press conferences outside the Vidhan Sabha during the Governor’s address, saying it reflected disregard for constitutional propriety. The Governor concluded his address with "Jai Hind" and also suggested that "Vande Mataram" be included as part of the House proceedings after the National Anthem.
