Reaffirming Punjab’s strong fiscal performance, Finance, Excise and Taxation Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema announced on Monday that the state recorded a robust 14.59 per cent growth in Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections during May 2026.
Showcasing robust financial management and sustained economic recovery, Punjab Finance, Excise and Taxation Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema on Thursday announced a significant 12.52% increase in net Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection up to March in the financial year 2025–26.
The meeting centred on a comprehensive review of the master list of complaints, marking a decisive step towards resolving pending cases and actively noting new concerns raised by the business community.
Punjab Finance Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema on Sunday said the One-Time Settlement (OTS) Scheme for VAT arrears has witnessed an overwhelming response, with 7,845 applications covering dues of around ₹298.39 crore and ₹111.16 crore already recovered.
The minister said, “The Punjab government is deeply committed to ensuring a harassment-free and conducive business environment. This is precisely why we have extended the One-Time Policy, offering traders a golden opportunity to amicably settle their pre-GST arrears.”
Cheema pointed out that there has been no increase in the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund, nor any concrete assistance to strengthen mandi and market infrastructure, leaving agrarian states deeply disappointed.
Speaking in the Vidhan Sabha in support of a resolution against the recent changes and the renaming of the MGNREGA scheme to ‘Viksit Bharat – GRAM G’, Cheema described the move as an "assault on the stomachs of the marginalised."
The operations led to the arrest of 76 drug smugglers with the registration of 57 first information reports (FIRs). With these arrests, the total number of drug smugglers apprehended during the past 290 days has reached 40,410.
Revealing this in a press communiqué issued here, Finance Minister Cheema said that the Animal Husbandry Department currently has a total of 2,010 approved posts for Veterinary Inspectors, and out of the approved posts, 345 positions are currently vacant, with 1,665 being filled.
He gave this assurance during a productive meeting with the Joint Action Committee, which represents 27 SCs and BCs employees and social organizations from across Punjab.
