Punjab Government on Friday released Rs 670.29 crore towards pending power subsidy, value added tax (VAT) or Good and Services tax (GST) refund, along with various development and welfare projects.
“The Government has released Rs 150 crore on account of power subsidy, Rs 93 crore for Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) and Rs 88 crore for Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA),” said a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office.
A sum of Rs 65.31 crore has been released for Environment, Forestry and Wildlife under the National River Conservation Plan, while Rs 20.62 crore would be spent on Externally Aided Projects (EAP) and Rs 29.85 crore on the schemes funded by NABARD.
Another Rs 24 crore has been released for Punjab Education Development Board (PEDB) and Rs 23.48 crore for AMRUT scheme, said the spokesperson adding that Rs 37.49 crore has been released on account of VAT and Rs 6.46 crore of GST refunds.
Another Rs 17.88 crore has been released against Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Rs 15.97 crore for Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), Rs 7.12 crore for Soil and Water Conservation and Rs 6.07 crore for water supply and sanitation.
The Chief Minister has directed various government departments and agencies to ensure effective implementation of the schemes aimed at promoting welfare of the people.
He has also expressed the confidence that the government’s efforts towards financial discipline and fiscal management would enable the state’s economy, which had been destroyed by the previous SAD-BJP regime, to come back on track.