Free tablets to Class 12th student, employment allowance of Rs 1,000 per month to all unemployed graduates, focus on skill development, scholarships to sportspersons among a host of other benefits were the salient features of the Punjab Budget, presented by Finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa.
Presenting the state Budget, Dhindsa said, "The state government will give free tablets to all 1.5 lakh students of Class 12th at a cost of Rs 110 crore this year, which was one of the promises in the election manifesto. Further, students of Class 11 would be covered in the next year. Also, broadband connectivity would be provided whenever available, in all the computer labs in government senior secondary schools. These would also be provided with wi-fi connectivity so that students who are being given tablets can have access to Internet."
Focusing on higher education, he mentioned, "Four degree colleges are to be set up at Mansa, Talwara, Jalalabad and Amargarh. We have also earmarked Rs 100 crore additional central assistance for upgradatio of ITIs and polytechnics. Also, an Indian Institute of Information Technology(IIIT) would be set up at a cost of Rs 128 crore at Kapurthala. Besides that, Punjab Institute of Food Technology and
Research (PIFTR) at Barnala and Punjab Institute of Textille Technology and Research (PITTR) at Ludhiana to be set up Punjab Technical University."
He also added, "We had promised an employability allowance of Rs 1,000 per month to unemployed youth in our election manifesto. A new scheme has been formulated to give employability allowance of Rs 1,000 to all graduates who have been registered in the employment exchange for more than three years. They will get an allowance of Rs 1000 per month for pursuing higher studies and vocational courses." According to a state government survey, there are about 30,000 graduates registered with employment exchanges for more than three years, fo this, the state government has made a budgetary allocation of Rs 40crore.
Also, to promote sports, the government will construct stadiums for the newly created districts of Fazilka, (Pathankot), Barnala and
Nawanashar at a cost of Rs 20 crore. Furthermore, sportspersons below 16 years of age would be given a monthly scholarship of Rs 500 crore and sportspersons above the 16 years of age would get Rs 1000 per month. Also, the government has announced a cash reward of Rs 2.25 crore, Rs 1.51 crore and Rs 51 lakh for winners of gold, silver and bronze medal in the coming Olympics being held in London.
