This was stated by Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, who was the chief guest at the annual prize distribution ceremony at Khalsa College for Women.

“I would like to make it clear that according to the VAT regime, we cannot levy any more taxes. So, this is certainly not the reason for the budget being put on hold,” the minister said, while replying to a question over the budget delay. He added that the delay was in the best interest of the state. “As many as 15 other states in the country have also taken the same decision,” he said.

Terming Punjab as the state which offers the highest compensation to farmers for land acquisition, Manpreet said: “The compensation for land acquisition is nearly three times the market price. For instance, we are giving a total compensation of around Rs 2600 crore for the power plant project in Gidderbaha and people are coming to us with their land.”