After presenting his fifth Budget on International Women’s Day, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Cheema says he considers it his biggest achievement that he has been able to turn around the state’s finances, while ensuring that each and every vulnerable section of the society was taken care of. In an interview to The Tribune, he called the financial assistance given to women a watershed moment for the state. Excerpts:How many women will benefit from Mukh Mantri Mawan Dhiyan Satkar Yojana?Around 97 per cent of the women will benefit from the scheme. Though the exact number of beneficiaries will be known only after the registration for the scheme starts on Baisakhi, only a minuscule number, who are economically independent, have been left out.How is the Punjab Government scheme different from other states’ plans?There is a difference between the governance models of AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Arvind Kejriwal’s leadership is defined by the “sanctity of the guarantee”, proven by the concrete budgetary rollout of monthly income for Punjab’s women. PM (Narendra) Modi’s guarantees”, such as the Rs 2,500 monthly aid promised to Delhi women. In Delhi, the BJP government has failed to implement the scheme, and in Haryana, a majority of women have been left out after a strict eligibility criteria was put in place by the “jumla party”.No new taxes have been imposed in the Budget. Where will the money to fund different schemes come from, especially when you have not been able to meet revenue targets in 2025-26?AAP does not believe in taxing one section of people to give to the other section. We will plug loopholes in tax collection, increase our tax net and the new investments that will come from foreign direct investment (FDI) and through new industrial investment will bring buoyancy in our revenues. As regards the government not achieving the targets, be rest assured that by the end of March, all targets will be met.Your government is accused of adding over Rs 1 lakh crore to the state’s debt in just four years. How would you justify the rising debt and debt-to-GSDP ratio?We are well within the limits set under the FRBM Act. The state is on a growth trajectory, recording a growth of 7.9 percent this year. The revenue deficit is just 2.69 per cent of the GSDP and fiscal deficit is 4.18 per cent of the GSDP. Also, we have been putting money in the sinking fund to help the state in case of a fiscal emergency.