The maiden budget presented before the house by the young and vibrant finance minister S. Manpreet Singh Badal with a 5000 Cr fiscal deficit unveils the naked hard realities about the Punjab’s dipping economic position before the world. In real words, the budget was nothing more than a mere statement of state’s revenue and expenditure for the current fiscal year. It lacked the basics of budgeting i.e. introductions of new ways and means to instill breath and blood to the ailing state economy.

Perfunctory talks on collection of Rs 13 Cr through cooperative collection from the ministers and the state employees for providing the insurance cover to the BPL families who deprive of even food and sanitation seems a jock. They need food and other basic necessities of life to survive but not the assurance of any insurance cover.

Punjab, known as a model of prosperity and forwardness is reeling at 4% growth rate as compared to a national figure of 9.4 %. Haryana comparatively smaller state is collecting Rs 6900 Cr as VAT as compared to 5150 Cr by the Punjab government. Same is in the case of excise duty. As per a recent survey, Punjab houses more number of liquor vends than the total number of schools and hospitals collectively, but the collection of excise duty has always been in a dire state.

Punjab government’s decision of supplying free electricity to farmers which crippled the PSEB is condemned by Manpreet Badal personally but stamped officially. He should fight shy of these double-edged amoral indulgences.

The finance minister’s foray into a consensus may find few takers. Leave aside the other political parties, itself the SAD leadership, Manpreet’s own political party may not accept his economic agenda.