In this detailed interview on the economic crunch faced by Punjab due to the pandemic, state finance minister Manpreet Badal tells The Wire’s Mitali Mukherjee that Punjab is staring at 4% fiscal deficit for this year.
He says that the state has been losing Rs 500 crore a month and the annual loss for the state might be around Rs 20,000 crore.
He says that the outgo from the Centre with respect to COVID-19 stands at Rs 71 crore. In a dire economic situation like this, the minister, sharply criticising the Centre, says that they don’t except any sizeable package from the Central government and adds that they have “never begged for anything” from the Centre.