LAHORE: The Punjab government, in its Rs5.35 trillion tax-free budget presented for the fiscal year 2025–26 on Monday, increased the minimum wage for workers from Rs37,000 to Rs40,000.
Punjab Finance Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman presented the budget in a charged session of the Punjab Assembly, where opposition members from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) staged a noisy protest, surrounded the speaker’s dais, and chanted slogans against the government.
پنجاب بجٹ مالی سال 2025-26
بجٹ کا کل حجم
5335 ارب روپے#پنجاب_کا_تاریخی_بجٹ#PunjabBudget2025#ProgresswithPurpose pic.twitter.com/UnH2zN0A6i
— Government of Punjab (@GovtofPunjabPK) June 16, 2025
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was present in the assembly during the session.
Prior to the budget speech, the provincial cabinet, chaired by the chief minister, approved the budget, including a 10% raise in salaries for government employees and a 5% increase in pensions.
The new minimum wage in Punjab marks a significant increase from the federal minimum wage of Rs37,000 announced earlier. The federal government had opted not to raise the minimum wage this year, stating that the figure was based on “internationally verified calculations.”
However, questions from journalists about whether Rs37,000 is enough for a person to survive amid rising inflation were met with vague responses from the federal finance minister.
Another key feature of the Punjab budget was a 10 per cent increase in salaries of government employees and a 5 per cent raise in pensions, aiming to provide financial relief amid rising inflation.
Considering this “relief”, Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman described the budget as a “people-friendly” financial plan in line with Maryam Nawaz’s vision for progress and prosperity.
پنجاب بجٹ مالی سال 2025-26
صوبائی ملازمین کی تنخواہوں اور پنشن میں اضافے کی شرح
سرکاری ملازمین کی تنخواہ میں 10 فیصد اضافہ
پنشن میں 5 فیصد اضافہ#پنجاب_کا_تاریخی_بجٹ#PunjabBudget2025#ProgresswithPurpose pic.twitter.com/psN8pwHvvY
— Government of Punjab (@GovtofPunjabPK) June 16, 2025
He said the total volume of the Punjab budget exceeds Rs5,300 billion. Of this, Rs4,060 billion is allocated for non-development expenditures, while Rs1,240 billion is earmarked for the Annual Development Programme. A total of 6,104 development projects have been completed over the past year, with special focus on education, health, agriculture, tourism, and energy.
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The finance minister emphasised youth empowerment through landmark initiatives. A laptop scheme worth Rs10 billion has been launched. For education, the government has allocated Rs148 billion under the development head and Rs661 billion under non-development expenditure. The “Honahar Scholarship Programme” has been allocated Rs15 billion.
وزیراعلیٰ پنجاب @MaryamNSharif کا صوبائی کابینہ کے 27 ویں اجلاس سے خطاب، اہم اعلان اور فیصلے#پنجاب_کا_تاریخی_بجٹ#PunjabBudget2025 pic.twitter.com/5gZqHKUpfN
— Government of Punjab (@GovtofPunjabPK) June 16, 2025
The minister announced that 112,000 more students would be given laptops in the upcoming fiscal year under the government’s youth empowerment initiative.