Budget of Rs 2.60 lakh crore presented, announcement of free treatment up to ₹ 10 lakh for every family

The Punjab government has presented its annual budget for the financial year 2026-27 (Punjab Budget 2026). State Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema Assembly While presenting the budget of Rs 2,60,437 crore, he described it as dedicated to mothers and daughters. The government has described this budget as a budget to strengthen public welfare and social security.

The government of state Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has laid special emphasis on sectors like health, education, agriculture and skill development in the budget. Many new schemes and facilities were announced during the budget, which are said to be aimed at directly benefiting the common people.

Free treatment up to ₹ 10 lakh for every family

Making a big announcement in the health sector, the government has decided to provide health insurance of up to Rs 10 lakh to every family in the state under the Mukhyamantri Sehat Yojana. About 65 lakh families will benefit from this scheme. Under this, cashless treatment facility will be provided in more than 900 government and private hospitals. A provision of about Rs 2,000 crore has been made in the budget for this scheme.

Big budget for education sector

A budget of Rs 19,279 crore has been kept for school education (Punjab Budget 2026), which is about 7 percent more than last year. The government plans to spend Rs 3,500 crore to strengthen the education system over the next six years under the “Sikhiya Kranti 2.0” programme.

To promote higher education, it has also been announced to establish a world class university in the name of Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji. A provision of Rs 569 crore has been made for technical education.

Skill Development and Employment

To strengthen skill development, the number of ITI seats has been increased from 35 thousand to 52 thousand. Along with this, ITIs have also been started in 11 jails of the state, so that skill training can be given to the prisoners.

Aam Aadmi Clinic and Health Services

At present 881 Aam Aadmi Clinics are operating in the state, of which 565 are in rural and 316 in urban areas. In these clinics, 107 types of medicines and 47 types of tests are being provided free of cost. Nearly 5 crore OPD visits have been recorded so far, of which 55 per cent are women.

The government has also announced the opening of 143 new Aam Aadmi Clinics and upgrading of 308 health centres. A provision of Rs 351 crore has been made for this (Punjab Budget 2026).

Upgradation of hospitals and new recruitment

To improve health facilities, 23 district hospitals and 42 sub-divisional hospitals will be upgraded. Also, new medical machinery worth about Rs 300 crore will be purchased.

The government said that since 2022, 934 doctors have been recruited, while 400 specialist doctors and 400 nurses have been recruited. Apart from this, the recruitment process of 500 nurses is going on.

Many announcements for farmers also

A provision of Rs 15,377 crore has been made for agriculture and allied sectors. A budget of Rs 7,715 crore has been kept for free electricity to farmers.

33 percent subsidy will be given on cotton seeds. Apart from this, farmers adopting Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) technology will get an assistance of Rs 1,500 per acre (Punjab Budget 2026). Up to 80 percent subsidy will also be given on crop residue management machines.

boost to horticulture sector

The government has announced the launch of a big project worth Rs 1,300 crore for horticulture development. Under this, a target has been set to increase the fruit and vegetable production area in the state from 4.59 lakh hectares to 17.34 lakh hectares by 2035.

The government says that this budget will prove to be an important step towards strengthening key sectors like health, education and agriculture as well as accelerating the development of the state.