Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today asked state Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa to incorporate "pro-poor proposals" in the annual Budget with a thrust on sectors like health, education and social security.
The Chief Minister, while interacting with Dhindsa after laying the foundation stone of a building here, told him that budgetary proposals should be aimed at ameliorating the poor and disadvantaged sections of the society by providing them basic civic amenities of potable drinking water and proper sewerage, besides healthcare facilities at affordable rates, according to an official release.
He said the budget proposals should be rural growth- oriented as it was the need of the hour to bridge the widening gulf between the rural and urban population as far as the basic facilities were concerned.
Badal said a balanced growth could only be achieved by adopting an approach of "inclusive development".
Badal said, "We can wait for infrastructure projects to come up on the ground, but can't afford to have delay in the implementation of welfare schemes meant for the common man."
The budget for 2014-15 fiscal session will be presented in the Punjab Assembly on July 16.
