Education, health and agriculture are three main sectors that are likely to be in focus as Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa presents the annual Punjab Budget in the Assembly on Wednesday.

And, the Budget is unlikely to see the imposition of any new taxes, though it will definitely have an outline on increasing resources by increasing the existing tax rate/slabs. The SAD-BJP government is also likely to offer cashless insurance to the state government employees.

Punjab continues to paint a grim picture so far as the growth rate of its Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) is concerned. Among the big non-special category states, Punjab is a laggard.

The state Cabinet today gave its approval to introducing the Punjab State Cancer and Drug Addiction Treatment Infra Structure Fund Bill, 2013, in the coming Budget session of the state assembly. The Bill aims at creating a special fund for setting up infrastructure, including equipment, in selected hospitals for treatment of cancer as well as drug addiction.

To facilitate NRIs (non-resident Indians) in getting their properties vacated, the Cabinet gave the go-ahead to the Punjab Rent (Amendment) Bill, 2013. The Bill will be tabled in the assembly during the Budget session. All properties on rent under an agreement will come under the purview of this new law.

Muktsar, March 4: Dengue and malaria cases, which have kept the health authorities in Muktsar district on their toes for years, came down considerably last year.

The government plans to revive cultivation of crops that make Punjab’s iconic “makki ki roti and sarson ka saag” -- maize and mustard --along with horticulture and fodder to breathe life into the s

Ropar, March 3: The fish production in the district is likely to get a boost in the near future.

Muktsar, March 3: To widen the Muktsar-Kotkapura road, the Department of Forests has approved axing of 1,600 trees for the Rs 70-crore project.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today took exception to his Haryana counterpart Bhupinder Singh Hooda's offer to resolve the contentious river waters issue with Punjab amicably through parleys.

With the Centre allocating Rs 500 crore for crop diversification, the ball is now in Punjab's court. The state government needs to decide on the steps to be taken in this regard.

More than 110 of the 138 water blocks in Punjab have shown a steep fall in the water table, ringing the alarm bells.