Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday presented supplementary demands for grants to the tune of Rs 40,461.95 crore in Vidhan Sabha for the year 2025-26.
On March 17, 2025, the Chief Minister had presented a Budget of Rs 58,514 crore for the year 2025-26. The supplementary budget is nearly 70 per cent of the Budget. For the record, the supplementary budget for 2024-25 was Rs 17,053 crore.
The Chief Minister said the supplementary budget included 36,374.61 crore under the state schemes and Rs 4,087.34 crore under Centrally-sponsored schemes.
The major expenditure proposed under the state schemes includes Rs 26,194.95 crore for repayment of ways and means advance and overdraft, and Rs 4,150.14 crore for power subsidy.
Besides, Rs 818.20 crore spent for relief on account of natural calamities, Rs 785.22 crore for water supply and sanitation schemes, Rs 657.22 crore for HIMCARE, SAHARA, robotic surgery facility in health institutions.
The CM said under the Centrally-sponsored schemes, the supplementary demand is proposed for funding the ongoing and new schemes.
The prominent among these are Rs 2,453.97 crore for disaster management under National Disaster Response Fund, Rs 688 crore for Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana, Rs 352.18 crore for compensation to Renukaji Dam oustees, etc.
Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur expressed surprise at the size of the supplementary budget. “It’s nearly 70 per cent of the Budget for 2025-26.
It will take our Budget for 2025-26 to nearly one lakh crore. It shows the government has been wrongly taking money from the Treasury under ways and means,” said Thakur.
The Leader of Opposition further alleged that the copy of the supplementary budget was not provided in the House before it was laid and was “passed in a hurry”.
“The convention is the document is made available in the House before it is laid. The document wasn’t made available and then it was passed in a hurry. It seems an attempt to hide the government’s failure,” said Thakur.
CM Sukhu explains the spike
Temporary borrowing, not expansion: The spike in the supplementary budget is due to short-term loans taken under Ways and Means after the withdrawal of RDG.
Lower-cost financial management: The government opted for Ways and Means advances because of their relatively lower interest rates compared to overdrafts, aiming to minimise fiscal burden.
No Rs 98,000 crore Budget jump: The CM rejected Opposition claims, asserting that the higher figure is misleading and that all expenditures and receipts have been transparently accounted for
