Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh, December 22-
Punjab raised demand for central assistance to strengthen its police infrastructure and security efforts in border districts, with a grant of 1,000CR. Industrial incentives similar to those provided to Jammu & Kashmir and neighboring hill states were also sought to support MSMEs in Punjab's border and sub-mountainous regions, during the pre-budget meeting held at Jaisalmer with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Revealing this in a press communique issued here today, Finance Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema said that the state has strongly raised the demand to restore NABARD’s Short-Term Seasonal Agricultural Operations (ST-SAO) limit to ₹3,041 crore, from the reduced limit of ₹1,100 crore for FY 2024-25. He said that this restoration is vital to prevent farmers from turning to moneylenders, aligning with the “Sahakar se Samriddhi” principle. He said that several states raised this issue and it was discussed at length.
For road connectivity under PM Gati Shakti in Rajpura, the Government of Punjab has requested ₹100 crore to construct a 5.6 km, 45m wide approach road connecting NH 44 to the Integrated Manufacturing Cluster (IMC) in Rajpura.