LAHORE: Punjab Finance Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman on Monday presented the tax-free provincial budget worth Rs5.35 trillion for the fiscal year 2025–26 in the Punjab Assembly amid ruckus by the opposition.
The budget was formally approved earlier in the day during a cabinet meeting chaired by CM Maryam Nawaz.
In his budget speech, Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman described it as a “people-friendly” financial plan in line with Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s vision for progress and prosperity.
At the beginning of his speech, the minister expressed solidarity with Palestine and Iran during this critical time. He conveyed deep sorrow over the martyrdoms in Iran and extended condolences to the affected families.
He said the total volume of the Punjab budget exceeds Rs 5,300 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.
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.
The minister announced that 112,000 more students would be given laptops in the upcoming fiscal year under the government’s youth empowerment initiative.
Under the Merit Scholarship Programme, 55,000 students have been awarded scholarships, while 17,000 motorbikes were distributed to students across the province. Young people are being given equal opportunities to excel in sports, education, and technology.
In the health sector, revolutionary measures have been introduced. For healthcare, a substantial amount of Rs630 billion has been set aside, he said. The Chief Minister Dialysis Programme, with a budget of Rs2 billion, is providing free dialysis services to patients. So far, 20,000 patients have benefited. Over 4,300 children have undergone free heart surgeries. Air ambulance services have been launched in Rawalpindi, Multan, Mianwali, and Bahawalpur, with a cost of Rs110 million.
Infrastructure and digital advancement also featured prominently. The government has started 1,550 road rehabilitation and construction schemes, of which over 1,300 have been completed. Free Wi-Fi is being provided at 400 locations in Lahore through a Rs320 million initiative. A total of 527 new buses are being procured at a cost of Rs40 billion, including 27 eco-friendly buses currently operating in Lahore.
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The finance minister said when the current government took office, the system was crippled by corruption and inefficiency. Now, not a single rupee has been misappropriated, and no scandal has emerged. Under the “Apna Ghar Apni Chhat” initiative, a Rs 85 billion housing programme has been launched for low-income citizens.
He pledged to carry forward the legacy of Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif in public service and said that no compromise will be made on the welfare of the people.
Key features of the budget include 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.
The development budget has received a record boost of 47.2 per cent, with Rs 1,240 billion set aside for uplift schemes across various sectors. An additional Rs171.7 billion has been allocated for projects supported by foreign funding.
The province’s current expenditures have been estimated at Rs2,026.7 billion, showing a 5.9 per cent increase from last year. Meanwhile, the cost of service delivery has been brought down by 5.8 per cent, now standing at Rs 679.8 billion.