Budget session of Punjab Assembly adjourned sine die

The fortnight long budget session of the Punjab Assembly was adjourned sine die today.
The construction of Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) dominated the Budget session of the Punjab Assembly.
As Punjab is going to polls early next year, this was the last budget session of the Parkash Singh Badal government.
Noting that Punjab's right to waters of its rivers should be "safeguarded", Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki on the opening day on March eight had appealed to the Centre to remove "discrimination" in sharing it with neighbouring states.
Noting that "injustice and discrimination" was meted out to Punjab over its river waters, he had said the people of the state have also been heavily discriminated against by refusal of the Centre to transfer Chandigarh to Punjab.

On March 10 Punjab assembly had adopted a resolution against the construction of Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal asserting the state has not a drop of water to spare even as the Speaker suspended entire opposition Congress flock for remaining period of day's session.

Moving the resolution Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had said the SYL Canal land will be de-notified by the state government. Badal declared that he would make every sacrifice to protect interests of Punjab on river waters.
"Punjab is primarily an agrarian state and river waters are its lifeline," Badal had said.
On March 15 with an eye on 2017 assembly polls, the Punjab government presented a Rs 86,387 crore tax-free populist budget, doling out many sops including insurance for farmers, farm credit facility, pension scheme, interest-free education loans and affordable housing.

Punjab Finance Minister Parminder Dhindsa also announced new scheme for providing free school bags to girl students, loan facility to women entrepreneurs at lower rates, setting up of 200 skill development centres.
The SYL-canal row hotted on March 18 up with Punjab Assembly unanimously passing a resolution against its construction saying the state does not have water to share with Haryana, which accused Punjab of "crossing all limits" and decided to approach the Centre and Supreme Court.
The development had come a day after Supreme Court directed status quo on land meant for Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal after Haryana alleged that attempts have been made to alter its use by levelling it.

Punjab assembly also passed a bill which states that whoever causes injury, damage or sacrilege to Guru Granth Sahib with an intention to hurt the religious feelings of the people will be punished with imprisonment for life.