Chandigarh, Mar 20 (PTI) The Punjab cabinet on Thursday gave a nod to place the Budget Estimates for the year 2025-26 in the Budget Session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha which will start on Friday.

A decision to this effect was taken in a meeting of the council of ministers held here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

A spokesperson of the chief minister's office said the Budget will be presented by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on March 26.

The cabinet also gave consent to place the report of Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) for the year 2023-24 on the floor of the House.

The cabinet also gave a nod to amend the Punjab Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2011 for omitting clause 7 (01).

This will enable students belonging to the economically weaker sections (EWS) to avail of admission to private schools.

This initiative will herald a new era of education revolution in the state by opening doors to quality education for the poor in private schools too, along with that being already imparted in government schools, said the spokesperson.

The Right to Education stipulates that 25 per cent of seats in all private schools will be reserved for the EWS.

However, this provision in the rules framed by the previous regimes debarred students from availing admission directly to private schools.

But this "historic" decision of the state government will now remove all the restrictions on the students of weaker and underprivileged sections and provide them access to quality education in private schools across the state, said the spokesperson. PTI CHS KSS KSS

Right to Education access expanded as Punjab removes restrictions allowing economically weaker students direct admission to private schools. The cabinet approved amending the Punjab Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2011 by omitting clause 7(01) to remove prior restrictions that prevented economically weaker section students from seeking direct admission in private schools, thereby enabling their access to seats reserved under the Right to Education framework; the cabinet also cleared placement of the 2025-26 Budget Estimates and the 2023-24 CAG report in the Vidhan Sabha, with the Budget to be presented on March 26.