Punjab budget passed in Asssembly amid walkout by opposition

Chandigarh, Mar 16: Punjab's annual budget for 2006-07 was today passed in the state assembly in absence of the entire opposition, who staged a walkout in protest against the ''conduct'' of finance minister Surinder Singla on the floor of the House.

The Punjab Appropriation (No. 2) Bill, 2006 was passed ''unanimously'' amidst the absence of opposition, thus, allowing the state government to withdraw Rs 25,967.98 crore (Rs 25967,98,88,000) out of the state's consolidated fund for fiscal 2006-07 for the expenditures of various departments.

Prior to the passage of the Bill, the opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and BJP members walked out when the finance minister was replying to the debate on the annual budgetary proposals, as the opposition members charged the minister with ''mudslinging'' and not being focused on the budget.

They created an uproar time and again during the speech of the finance minister, who accused the previous Akali-BJP regime of mishandling the state's fiscal matters and blaming the last Badal government for financial crisis in the state.

There was an eventuality when speaker Kewal Krishnan had to expunge an unparliamentary phrase uttered by the finance minister.

When the speaker asked the opposition members to take their seats so that the finance minister could continue the reply, Leader of Opposition Parkash Singh Badal led the opposition out of the house, while raising anti-government slogans.
Mr Singla said in his reply to the debate on the budget that that state government had not enough money for the development of urban infrastructure and, thus, the private parties were roped in for the purpose. Stating that the the previous Akali-BJP government in Punjab had led the state to the fiscal crisis, he said the present Congress government had kept the interests of the rural masses, particularly of the farmers, in mind while chalking out the budget for 2006-07.

He announced a monthly grant of Rs 500 to the 'Nambardar' of a village, besides a similar grant to the 'Sarpanch' in the budget.

The minister said that Rs 264 crore has been allocated in the ensuing financial year under the 'Punjab Nirman' scheme for the rural infrastructure development. The government would ensure more powers to the Panchayati Raj Institutions before the next assembly elections, he said.

Some of the statements of Mr Singla that irked the opposition members were when he commented that the issue of agriculture had become ''a political requirement'' for the Akalis.

Besides the voting on 'Demands for Grants' relating to the budget for 2006-07 and the passage of the Punjab Appropriation (No. 2) Bill, various reports and papers were also tabled in the house.

These mainly included a report of the Committee on the Budget Estimates of the School Education department during 2005-06, the 32nd report of the Committee on Welfare of SC, ST and Backward Classes regarding the reservation policy implementation for recruitment in MILKFED, three reports of the Public Accounts Committee and the first report of the Committee on Local Bodies and Panchayati Raj Institutions on the working of the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation.

UNI