Punjab Outlook

The Punjab Budget for 2025, presented under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), is nothing short of a hollow farce—an eyewash that exposes the government’s incompetence, broken promises, and utter disregard for the people of Punjab. Far from delivering on its lofty guarantees, this budget lays bare the AAP’s misplaced priorities and its alarming contribution to the state’s financial ruin.
Key Failures:
1 Failure to Deliver Rs 1,000 to Women – A Broken Star Guarantee
Three budgets into its tenure, the Bhagwant Mann-led government has miserably failed to honor its flagship promise of providing Rs 1,000 per month to the women of Punjab. This was a cornerstone of AAP’s electoral campaign, yet it remains an unfulfilled dream, leaving millions of women disillusioned. Even after raising false hopes with recent assurances of implementation in this budget, the government has once again shown its inability to deliver, proving that its guarantees are nothing but empty rhetoric.
2 Meager Allocation for Agriculture – A Cruel Joke on Farmers
The allocation of Rs 14,000 crores for agriculture, the backbone of Punjab’s economy, is woefully inadequate. When the free power subsidy for tubewells—already a pre-existing commitment—is subtracted, the actual investment in agriculture dwindles to a pittance. This is a cruel joke on Punjab’s farmers, who continue to grapple with rising input costs, stagnant incomes, and a lack of meaningful support. The AAP government’s neglect of crop diversification, modern irrigation, and debt relief measures further underscores its indifference to the agrarian crisis.
3 No Funds for Malwa Canal Project – A Mirage of Development
With much fanfare, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann laid the foundation stone for the ambitious Malwa Canal project, promising enhanced irrigation for the region. Yet, the 2025 budget shockingly allocates no funds for this critical infrastructure initiative. This glaring omission exposes the government’s penchant for grand announcements without follow-through, leaving farmers in Malwa high and dry while groundwater depletion continues unabated.
4 Mounting Debt – AAP’s Only Achievement
The only standout feature of this budget is the staggering debt burden it heaps on Punjab. In just three years, the AAP government has added approximately Rs 1 lakh crore to the state’s debt, a figure that rivals the Rs 3 lakh crore accumulated over 30 years from 1992 until AAP assumed power in 2022. This reckless borrowing spree, coupled with a lack of revenue generation or economic vision, threatens to mortgage Punjab’s future for generations to come.
5 Additional Failures – An Anti-People Budget
◦ Neglect of Education and Health: Despite tall claims, the budget offers no substantial increase in funding for schools and hospitals, leaving Punjab’s youth and vulnerable populations without access to quality services.
◦ Unfulfilled Job Promises: The AAP’s pledge to create lakhs of jobs remains a distant mirage, with unemployment festering as a persistent wound.
◦ Silence on Law and Order: Amid rising crime and drug trafficking, the budget offers no concrete measures to strengthen Punjab’s security apparatus, betraying the trust of its citizens.
This budget is a slap in the face of every Punjabi who believed in AAP’s promises of change. It is a document of deceit, devoid of vision, and designed to mask the government’s failures under the guise of populist slogans. The people of Punjab deserve better than a leadership that thrives on gimmicks while driving the state into financial ruin.
We call upon the AAP government to stop misleading the public and take immediate corrective action. Punjab cannot afford another year of hollow promises and mounting debt.
Sukhpal Singh Khaira
MLA & Chairman, All India Kissan Congress