Punjab to present annual budget for FY2026-27 today

Lahore (Web Desk): The Punjab government is set to table its budget for the fiscal year 2026-27 during the 43rd sitting of the Punjab Assembly today (Tuesday).

Provincial Finance Minister Mian Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman will present the government's financial proposals for the coming year before the assembly.

According to sources, the total outlay of Punjab’s upcoming budget is expected to cross the Rs5.3 trillion mark, with officials indicating that the province will receive nearly Rs4.4 trillion through the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award. In addition, provincial revenue generation has been estimated at approximately Rs1 trillion.

The sources added that the government intends to earmark more than Rs700 billion for development initiatives, while Rs800 billion has been proposed for distribution through the Punjab Finance Commission.

The budget draft also allocates Rs650 billion for government employees’ salaries and Rs505 billion for pension expenditures.

They further revealed that the salary increase for Punjab government workers is likely to mirror the raise recently announced by the federal government.

Under the proposed Annual Development Programme (ADP), a total of 3,560 development projects have been included. Of these, around Rs493.25 billion is expected to be spent on ongoing schemes, while Rs258.75 billion has been set aside for new projects.

Among the major welfare and infrastructure initiatives, the government plans to establish the Kulsoom Nawaz Cancer Hospital in Dera Ghazi Khan.

Considerable funding has also been proposed for the Chief Minister’s Laptop Programme, Kisan Card, Livestock Card and the Parwaaz Card International Placement Programme.

The budget blueprint additionally includes plans for the creation of the Mian Nawaz Sharif University of Engineering and Technology and the Shehbaz Sharif Sports Complex in Kasur.

Meanwhile, authorities have completed extensive security preparations for the Punjab Assembly’s budget session due to the possibility of demonstrations by opposition parties.

Officials stated that strict entry and security measures have been finalised for the session.

Under the newly issued directives, both government and privately assigned armed security personnel will be barred from entering the assembly secretariat during the budget proceedings.