New Delhi, 11 February (H.S.): In a fiery speech in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Shiromani Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal the Central government of systematically neglecting Punjab in the Union Budget, marking a stark continuation of grievances since 2015.

The Bathinda MP asserted that Punjab, which contributes over ₹2,000 crore annually in taxes to the national exchequer, receives virtually nothing in return. No budget since 2015 has accorded Punjab its due, she declared during the budget discussion, highlighting the state's decelerating growth trajectory.

Punjab's development rate lags behind the national average, with its Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) ratio in steady decline. Agriculture, the state's economic backbone, remains hamstrung without a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) or implementation of the Swaminathan Commission recommendations.

Over the past five years, more than 1,000 farmers have taken their lives in despair. Beneficiaries under the PM Kisan Nidhi scheme have been slashed by 50 percent, while subsidies on fertilizers and electricity have been curtailed, exacerbating rural distress.

Badal drew attention to Punjab's unprecedented floods in 2025, the most devastating in living memory. Despite the Centre's claim of allocating a ₹12,500 crore relief fund, not a paisa reached the state. The Prime Minister and ministers made high-profile visits, announcing ₹1,600 crore in aid—yet the funds never materialized. Thousands of acres of crops lay ruined as a result.As a border state, Punjab grapples with compounded challenges.

The Attari border remains shuttered, stalling trade entirely, while the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor stays closed. Youth unemployment and drug addiction plague the region, with Border Security Force (BSF) reports revealing dozens of drones intercepted daily, smuggling weapons and narcotics.

Punjab records the nation's highest drug overdose deaths, and eight women succumb to cancer every day. Shockingly, the budget offers no succor for key industries like leather, sports goods, or textiles; nor provisions for high-speed rail or tourism infrastructure.

Badal demanded immediate redress: waiver of farmers' debts, compensation for flood-hit cultivators, a special industrial package, support for de-addiction programs, and a statutory MSP guarantee to safeguard Punjab's agrarian future.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar