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Sources in the Punjab government said the state is under heavy debt, facing a fiscal deficit of 3.84% currently, and will have to borrow more to deliver the women’s scheme. The cost of the scheme is almost Rs 12,000 crore a month, as there are…Read More
AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal with Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann. File image/PTI
There was no luck for the women of Punjab even in the fourth budget of the Bhagwant Mann government, as it had no mention or allocation for the poll promise of giving Rs 1,000 a month to them. The promise was made during the 2022 Punjab polls, which brought the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) a big majority.
In fact, before the 2024 April-June Lok Sabha polls, chief minister Bhagwant Mann had promised that the money would soon start reaching women in the state at an enhanced amount of Rs 1,100 per month. But no woman in Punjab has received the money so far, and it is unlikely to happen in 2025–26 too.
Sources in the Punjab government said the state is under heavy debt, facing a fiscal deficit of 3.84% currently, and will have to borrow more to deliver the women’s scheme. The cost of the scheme is almost Rs 12,000 crore a month, as there are nearly 1 crore women in Punjab above 18 years of age.
Punjab already incurs Rs 23,000 crore on its free electricity promise that was rolled out after the 2022 polls. As per a recent C&AG report, Punjab’s public debt surged to Rs 3.06 lakh crore by March 2024, up from Rs 2.76 lakh crore in 2022–23.
By March 2025, Punjab’s debt is expected to have surged to Rs 3.78 lakh crore, making it among the top debt-ridden states in India.
Hence, the finance department of Punjab has not moved on the women’s scheme so far. AAP sources, however, say the party is committed to the scheme, and it will not be surprising if it is rolled out finally before the 2027 Punjab elections.
Opposition parties like the Congress, BJP, and Akali Dal have slammed AAP for not delivering on its promise to women and said female voters will teach the party a lesson in 2027.