CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Cabinet has decided to hold the Budget session from March 21 to 28, with the state's Budget proposals scheduled for presentation on March 26.
This decision was made during a meeting of the Punjab cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
The meeting was initially scheduled for 11 am at the Chief Minister’s Residence (CMR), however, it was delayed by an hour.
Three ministers, Aman Arora, Laljit Singh Bhullar, and Dr Baljit Kaur, arrived at the CMR but left after about half an hour due to the delay.
They, along with other cabinet colleagues, came back at 1 pm, and the meeting lasted a little over an hour.
Giving the details, a spokesperson from the Chief Minister’s Office said that the cabinet gave the nod for recommending the same to Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, who is authorized to officially summon the State Legislature as per Article 174(1) of the Constitution of India.
The Governor address will take place on March 25, followed by a discussion on the address. The Finance Minister will present the budget for the year 2025-26 on March 26, and a general discussion on the Budget will take place thereafter.
The cabinet also gave a nod to exempt the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the Education Department with British Council Education India Private Limited (BCEIPL) to improve English Communication skills for better employability in the future from Section 63 (1) of The Punjab Transparency in Public Procurement Act, 2019.
This waiver will be placed before the upcoming session of the Legislative Assembly to continue the 'English for Work' course for the next two financial years, 2025-26 and 2026-27. It will be by the terms and conditions of the MoU.
This initiative benefits approximately five thousand students across various Government Colleges in the state every year. The exemption will ensure the smooth running of the scheme without any obstacles.
To impart technical education to the students, the cabinet also gave the nod to start Hunar Sikhiya Schools (School of Applied Learning) across the state, thereby opening new vistas of employment for youth.
As per the decision, 40 schools will be opened in the state at a cost of nearly Rs 32 crore, which will impart training in trades of Banking, Financial Services and Insurance, Digital Design and Development, Beauty and wellness and Healthcare Sciences and Services.
Apart from it, three foundational courses in functional English, career foundations (professionalism, CV creation, soft skills and professional development) and Technology in everyday life ( writing emails, creating work plans and using digital tools) will also be introduced.
The Cabinet also accorded consent to the annual administrative reports of the Defence Services Welfare Department for the year 2022-2023 and 2023-2024.