Chandigarh, March 9 -- The Punjab government has placed health and education at the centre of its 2026-27 budget, announcing major increases in allocations for the two sectors along with expanded welfare measures. Presenting the budget, finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the state government has increased the health sector allocation by 23% to Rs.6,879 crore, while the education sector outlay has been raised by 7% to Rs.19,279 crore, with a focus on flagship programmes of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Among key healthcare initiatives, Rs.2,000 crore has been earmarked for the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana, an ambitious health insurance programme providing Rs.10 lakh annual health cover per family. Another Rs.351 crore has been allocated for Aam Aadmi Clinics. The finance minister said 143 more clinics will be set up in the coming financial year. Currently, 881 Aam Aadmi Clinics are operational, offering 107 essential medicines and 47 diagnostic tests free of cost, and have recorded nearly 5 crore OPD visits. The government also plans to transform 308 subsidiary health centres into Aam Aadmi Clinics, taking the total number of such clinics to 1,432 within five years. In the field of medical education, Rs.1,220 crore has been allocated, while the government announced plans to establish seven new medical colleges in Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Sangrur, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Lehragaga, Malerkotla and Ludhiana. These institutions are expected to add 600 new MBBS seats. For the Malerkotla medical college, 38.5 acres of land has already been purchased at a cost of Rs.49 crore. In education, the government has earmarked Rs.3,500 crore for Sikhya Kranti 2.0, aimed at improving school infrastructure with World Bank's support. The budget also announced the establishment of a world-class university in the name of Guru Tegh Bahadur at Anandpur Sahib. Education minister Harjot Singh Bains said the budget serves as a blueprint for Punjab's future. "We are translating our promise of Punjab Sikhiya Kranti into an irreversible reality. Having secured the nation's top rank in learning outcomes, we are now equipping our students to compete on the world stage," he said. To further modernise schools, the government said Rs.400 crore is being invested to install 38,649 desktop computers and 8,268 interactive flat panels in government schools, ensuring that every secondary and senior secondary school has a modern computer lab. Additionally, 11 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) will be upgraded into Centres of Excellence. The government has continued the free bus travel scheme for women, allocating Rs.600 crore for the initiative. According to the budget proposals, women undertook around 12 crore free journeys last year under the scheme. Expenditure on providing free sanitary pads to 13.65 lakh women has also been increased from Rs.43 crore to Rs.64 crore, with nearly 1.2 crore sanitary pads distributed every month across the state. For social welfare measures, Rs.6,150 crore has been earmarked for monthly financial assistance to 36.52 lakh beneficiaries, including the elderly, widows, destitute women, dependent children and persons with disabilities....