Chandigarh, March 8 (IANS) Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, on Sunday criticised the Budget presented by Finance Minister Harpal Cheema, stating that “it is nothing more than a bundle of grand announcements aimed at creating headlines while completely ignoring the urgent need to revive state’s struggling economy”.

Bajwa said the Budget once again “exposes the AAP government’s lack of a clear economic vision to generate employment, revive industry, or improve the state’s financial health”.

“The AAP government has perfected the art of making tall claims and grand announcements, but when it comes to presenting a concrete roadmap for economic revival and employment generation, the Budget is completely hollow,” Bajwa said in a statement.

Taking exception to the government’s claim that all guarantees have been fulfilled, Congress leader Bajwa pointed out the most prominent promise made by AAP during the 2022 Assembly elections was Rs 1000 per month for women and announced only now, after four years in power.

“If the government claims that all guarantees have been fulfilled, then why did Punjab’s women have to wait four long years for the Rs 1000 scheme? This clearly shows that the announcement is politically timed rather than a result of responsible governance,” Bajwa said.

He also highlighted the alarming rise in Punjab’s debt under the AAP government.

He said when AAP came to power the state’s debt stood at around Rs 2.84 lakh crore, which has now surged to nearly Rs 4.17 lakh crore, placing an enormous financial burden on the state’s future.

“Instead of reducing the debt and strengthening revenue generation, the AAP government is pushing Punjab deeper into a debt trap through reckless financial management and populist announcements,” Bajwa said.

The Leader of Opposition further said the Budget “does not offer any credible strategy to attract real investments or create sustainable employment for Punjab’s youth”.

He said while the government “claims to have received investment proposals worth thousands of crores, there is little clarity on how many of these proposals have actually translated into industries on the ground”.

–IANS

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