*Direct cash transfer to be provided under ‘Mukh Mantri Mawan Dhian Satikar Yojna’*
CHANDIGARH: Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Sunday presented the fifth Budget of the Aam Aadmi Party-led (AAP) government in Punjab for 2026–27, proposing a total outlay of ₹2, 60, 437 crore and projecting the state’s GSDP at ₹9, 80, 635 crore with an estimated growth rate of 10 per cent.
Tabled on International Women’s Day, the Budget unveiled the ‘Mukh Mantri Mawan Dhian Satikar Yojna’—a universal cash transfer scheme under which women will receive ₹1, 000 per month and Dalit women ₹1, 500—while outlining major allocations across education, healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure and social welfare, which the government described as fulfilling the all key electoral guarantees of Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann.
Presenting the Budget, the Finance Minister said, “The Effective Revenue Deficit is projected at 2.06 per cent of GSDP and the Fiscal Deficit at 4.08 per cent.” He described the document as the “Saari Guarantiyan Puri Karan Wala Budget”, emphasising that the government has worked to fulfil all the guarantees made to the people.
Presented on International Women’s Day, the Budget introduced the “Mukh Mantri Mawan Dhian Satikar Yojna”, which the Finance Minister described as the first universal cash transfer initiative for women. Explaining the scheme, Harpal Singh Cheema said, “Under this initiative, the government will transfer ₹1, 000 per month directly to the accounts of all eligible adult women and ₹1, 500 per month to adult women belonging to the Scheduled Caste community.” He added that a budgetary outlay of ₹9, 300 crore has been earmarked to ensure that nearly 97 per cent of adult women in Punjab are covered, including women already receiving social security pensions.
The Finance Minister further said that the government has allocated ₹600 crore to continue the free bus travel facility for women, ₹932 crore for the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) covering more than 27, 000 Anganwadi Centres, and ₹65 crore for the Navi Disha Scheme to provide free sanitary pads to needy women and adolescent girls.