Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Saturday urged the Centre to extend immediate fiscal assistance and announce a special economic package for Punjab, pointing out that the state endured a difficult 2025 marked by border tensions and the worst floods in decades. During a pre-Budget meeting with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman here, Cheema submitted a detailed memorandum laying out Punjab's key financial requirements and policy demands for the 2026-27 Union Budget. He said the state, being the country's first line of defence, suffered severe economic disruption due to prolonged security tensions along the international border, followed by a devastating monsoon disaster that was officially declared a calamity of severe nature by the home ministry. Explaining the scale of devastation, the Punjab finance minister said the floods impacted more than 2,300 villages and nearly 20,000 families across the state. Cheema informed Sitharaman that comprehensive ground-levelPunjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Saturday urged the Centre to extend immediate fiscal assistance and announce a special economic package for Punjab, pointing out that the state endured a difficult 2025 marked by border tensions and the worst floods in decades. During a pre-Budget meeting with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman here, Cheema submitted a detailed memorandum laying out Punjab's key financial requirements and policy demands for the 2026-27 Union Budget. He said the state, being the country's first line of defence, suffered severe economic disruption due to prolonged security tensions along the international border, followed by a devastating monsoon disaster that was officially declared a calamity of severe nature by the home ministry. Explaining the scale of devastation, the Punjab finance minister said the floods impacted more than 2,300 villages and nearly 20,000 families across the state. Cheema informed Sitharaman that comprehensive ground-level Latest News [ SOBAN NEWS: International and National ]
