Punjab Budget 2016-17 Highlights

Punjab State Budget 2016-17 Highlights: Punjab Finance Minister, Parminder Singh Dhindsa on 15 March 2016 presented the Annual State Budget 2016-17 in the legislative assembly. The size of budget is 86 thousand 387 crore rupees.The tax free budget focuses on social farmers with agriculture, welfare sector, youth and women as the priority areas. The revenue deficit in the financial year 2015-16 (RE) stood at 1.85 percent of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), whereas for the year 2016-17 (BE) it has been estimated at 1.76 percent of GSDP. On the other hand, fiscal deficit in the financial year 2015-16 (RE) stood at 2.99 percent of GSDP, whereas for the year 2016-17 (BE) it has been estimated at 2.88 percent of GSDP.

Punjab Budget 2016-17 Highlights: 

Women’s Empowerment:

• Swasth Kanya Yojna: Provide free school bags containing stationery items to girl students. Bags will contain “benefit eligibility card” showing benefits being provided to girls under various schemes.

• Mai Bhago Women Empowerment Scheme: Loan at subsidized rate of 5% per annum will be provided to women members to establish small business enterprises.

• Special women patrolling teams will be created.

• Women safety application, Shakti will be launched.

Youth

• 200 skill development centres will be opened for training in rural areas.

• Employability allowance of 1000 rupees per month will be provided.

• Interest free education loan up to 5 lakh rupees for the duration of the course to EWS.

• Financial Assistance will be provided to Start-ups.

Farmers

• Interest free crop loan of 50000 rupees per crop to small and marginal farmers having land holding up to 5 acres.

• Insurance cover of 5 lakh rupees shall be provided to the family in case of death or disability of head of the family and family will also be entitled to free medical facility up to 50000 rupees per year, to approximately 11 lakh farmers in the State under Bhagat Puran Singh Sehat Bima Yojna.

• To provide for secure and stable income to the farmers, Farmers Provident Fund-cum-Pension Scheme will be started.

• Kisan Vikas Chamber will be opened in Mohali district. This chamber will help in bridging the gap between the farmers and the policy makers and to redress the problems faced by the farming community.

• Abolish VAT on raw honey and bee keeping equipment which currently attract tax rate of 6.05%. Pig feed which attracts tax rate of 6.05%, is proposed to be exempted from VAT.

• To showcase the innovative initiatives of farmers in these subsidiary occupations, and to motivate others to emulate them suitable awards shall be instituted.

Welfare

• SC Scholarship Fund will be provided.

• Uniforms, school bags and stationery items will be provided to the children of Scheduled Caste families working as agricultural labourers in the state.

Education

• 400 middle Schools will be upgraded to High Schools.

• 400 High Schools will be upgraded to Senior Secondary Schools.

• An education channel, Vidya TV will be started.

Rural Development

• Instead of separate cremation grounds, Common Cremation Grounds with all basic amenities will be created.

• Three Gram Panchayats will be awarded in each district for their outstanding work in Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

Housing and Urban Development

• Housing for All (Urban) Policy will be undertaken for the benefit of economically weaker sections.

a) 50% rebate on CLU, EDC and License fee on all affordable housing projects.

b) Additionally, 50% rebate on stamp duty charges on all conveyance deeds in the affordable housing sector.

c) 25% rebate on CLU, EDC and License fee on all new housing sector projects coming up in the State.

• Stamp duty will be reduced by 20% on the first purchase conveyance deed of all new flats.

Industry

• Two Mega Food Parks will be created, one to be set up by Punjab Agro Industries Corporation near Ludhiana and the second will come up in the private sector near Phagwara.

• To boost industrial production that will create more jobs, power will be provided at 4.99 rupees per unit to all new investments for a period of five years from the date they attain commercial production and to the existing industry on their increased additional power consumption.

• Industrial focal point measuring about 200 acres at village Pabra and Thaktu Majra near Rajpura, district Patiala.

• Another industrial focal point is also being developed at Dhanansu district Ludhiana on about 300 acres of land.

• State procurement policy will be amended to encourage local manufacturing sector. This policy would enable the state government, board and corporations to make purchases of the goods manufactured locally in Punjab.

Excise and Taxation

• Rate of VAT on cotton and other types of yarns will be reduced from 6.05% to 3.63%. 100% polyester filament yarn has been excluded from this reduction.

• “Apna Tax Scheme” will be launched for the general public. This will encourage customers to procure bills from retail vendors which would ensure tax compliance in a systematic, non-intrusive and non-regulatory manner.

Power

• 1.65 lac tube well connections will be provided to various categories of AP applicants to whom demand notices have been issued.

• Tube well connections on priority to all those farmers who have applied for the same and have land holding below 2.5 acre

• All old tube well pump sets will be replaced with energy efficient pump sets in a tie up with Energy Efficiency Services Limited.

• 24 hours Urban Pattern Supply (UPS) will be provided to 8263 deras and dhanies.

Health

• Bhagat Puran Singh Sehat Bima Yojana will be launched for providing health insurance cover of 50000 rupees per annum to 10 lakh rupees to farmers and 2 lakh rupees construction workers & small traders in the year 2016-17.

Heritage and Culture

• For promoting Punjabi language and culture, entertainments tax on cultural and theatre shows will be abolished.

• Mukh Mantri Tirath Darshan Yatra will be launched.

• 350th Birth Anniversary of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji will be celebrated at an expense of 50 crore rupees.

• Inami Bagh will be acquired and declared as a National Biodiversity Heritage site, first of its kind in the state.

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Nikku Park Jalandhar

Nikku Park Jalandhar Timings, Contact Number: Nikku Park in Jalandhar is one of best destination to spend some quality time specially with Kids. It is located in center of Jalandhar city near Model Town Market. You can spend some good time here with Kids, while young people and Senior citizen can also have walk and spend some quality time with quality sitting arrangement and foods. Nikku Park Jalandhar is maintained by some society and Here we are trying to provide answers to some of general questions among Jalandharites and visitors to Jalandhar like timeing, contact No, and entry fee. 

Nikku Park Jalandhar Timings: Nikku Park Jalandhar Timings are now 24 hours are mentioned by some blogs and websites, Park has fix opening hours which remains same for all week days including Sunday and saturdays.

• 3:30 PM to 7:00 PM is Nikku Park Opening Hours.
• 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM for Bulk booking for school kids.

Nikku Park Major Attractions:

• Free Rides for Kids, there are 10-15 rides in park at various location for FREE.
• 2 Toy Trains for kids above 4 years.
• Rides for Age group 14+ and aldults.
• Beautiful Garden with well maintained facilities. 
• Kinds can watch Duck in small pond. 
• Bull ride in last section of park where kids over 10+ years can sit and enjoy. 
• Enjoy food and beverages at Food Court and refresh yourself.
• Multiple Rides in Baloon, Round, Up-down, Kangaroo to make your day.

Entry Fee of Nikku Park: 

• Enter Fee: Rs. 10/- Per Person
• Rides Fee: Buy Rs. 35 Coupon and enjoy and Three paid Rides in Park.

Reach Nikku Park in Jalandhar: Reach Nikku Park is located in center of Jalandhar City near Model Town Market and and main entry gate is just opposite to Model Gurudwara. You can travel via own vehicle 2-wheelar or 4-wheelar, as there are plenty of space of parking. However you can use public transport auto, as it is hardly 2.5 KM from Bus stand and 4 KM from City railway station. Here is address and contact number of Nikku Park, Jalandhar. 

Nikku Park Jalandhar. 

Gurudwara Shri Guru Singh Shaba

Model Town, Jalandhar - 144003.

Here is some Pictures of Nikku Park Jalandhar:

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Punjab Joins “UDAY” Scheme

Government of India, the State of Punjab and the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) which takes care of the power distribution activity of Punjab signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) under the Scheme UDAY – “Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana” here today, for operational and financial turnaround of the DISCOMs. The signing ceremony was held in the august presence of the Union Minister of State for Power (IC) Shri Piyush Goyal and Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab, Shri Sukhbir Singh Badal. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Piyush Goyal said that Punjab will be highly benefitted by the UDAY especially the farmers and the industrialists. He also assured that the Power Ministry is in discussion with the Punjab Government about replacing all old water pumps with the improved, technologically advanced and energy efficient water pumps in the state. While, Shri Sukhbir Singh Badal appreciated the Power Minister for taking India from being power deficit country towards power surplus country and said that UDAY will be tackling total discom debt of Rs.20838 and thus revive the power sector of the state.

Under UDAY, seven states have signed MoU till date. The combined DISCOM debt that would be restructured in respect of these states is around Rs.1.6 lakh crore, which is approximately 37% of the total outstanding DISCOM debt of Rs.4.3 lakh crore as on 30th September, 2015. Today the Government of Punjab has taken a positive step towards supporting its DISCOM by signing the MOU under UDAY and agreeing to take over the debt of the DISCOM gradually. The Government of Punjab would take over Rs.15628 crore of DISCOM debt, being 75% of the total DISCOM debt of Rs.20838 crore outstanding as on 30.09.2015, as envisaged in the scheme. The scheme also provides for the balance debt of Rs.5210 crore. to be re-priced or issued as State guaranteed DISCOM bonds, at coupon rates around 3% less than the average existing interest rate. The annual saving in the interest cost to the State would be around Rs.625 crore on account of restructuring of the DISCOM debt. Besides trying to support the DISCOM financially, the MoU paves way for further improving operational efficiency of the already efficient DISCOM. Through compulsory Distribution Transformer metering, consumer indexing & GIS mapping of losses, upgrade/change transformers, meters etc., smart metering of high-end consumers, feeder audit etc. AT&C losses and transmission losses would be brought down, besides eliminating the gap between cost of supply of power and realisation. The reduction in AT&C losses and transmission losses to 14% and 2.5% respectively is likely to bring additional revenue of around Rs.1600 cr. during the period of turnaround.

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