Lahore: Punjab Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja ur Rehman presented a budget of Rs 5335 billion for the financial year 2025-26, which was presented in the assembly despite strong protests from the opposition. The budget has proposed significant expenditure on public welfare, social security, and development projects.
The minimum wage has been proposed to be increased to Rs 40,000 per month, while the salaries of government employees have been increased by 10 percent and pensions by 5 percent. The budget allocated for education and health is Rs 148 billion and Rs 181 billion, respectively, which have been increased by 127 percent and 131 percent compared to the previous year.
The development budget has increased by 47 percent, while Rs494 billion has been allocated for the social sector, which constitutes 40 percent of the total development budget. Rs15 and Rs15.1 billion have been allocated for the Honhar Scholarship Program and Laptop Scheme, respectively.
The finance minister announced that Rs 4062.2 billion is expected to be transferred to Punjab under federal tax revenues, while the provincial revenue target has been set at Rs 828.2 billion.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb have termed the budget as a public welfare document. They say that this budget has been introduced without any new taxes, and a roadmap has also been included to expand the province’s tax net.
