Chandigarh: The Punjab Cabinet has approved a series of key decisions aimed at boosting employment, strengthening public services and improving administrative efficiency across the state, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema announced after the Cabinet meeting on Saturday.
Cheema said the Cabinet’s move to create a separate cadre for Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) employees will streamline appointments and end long-standing staffing gaps. Until now, officers were largely appointed on deputation, leaving several posts vacant when they returned to their parent departments. The new cadre will ensure smooth recruitment and stable manpower for the BBMB’s workforce of nearly 3,000 employees.
The state also approved new posts in Malerkotla district, including three positions in the Sports Department and 11 in the Cooperation Department, which include the posts of Registrar and Deputy Registrar.
To strengthen healthcare delivery, the Cabinet sanctioned 51 new posts at the CHCC Hospital in Doraha. The government has also increased the retirement age of dental teaching faculty from 62 to 65, ensuring experienced professionals remain available for longer terms.
In a major administrative push, 16 long-pending Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) posts have been revived and will be filled soon to improve child welfare programmes.
Cheema further detailed reforms proposed by the Industries and Housing Departments, which include delegating the power to bifurcate industrial plots to agencies such as GMADA and PUDA. Under the new norms, plots below 500 square yards cannot be carved out, and a fee of ₹50 per square yard will be charged during bifurcation.
For low-impact property owners, the government has eased construction rules by allowing residential construction on plots as small as 400 square yards, provided the total area does not exceed 4,000 square feet and all conditions are met.
On the social welfare front, the Cabinet approved new rules for the transgender community, aiming to expand social security benefits. The government will also spend ₹53 crore to distribute sanitary napkins to girls from economically weaker sections through Anganwadi centres.
The judicial system is also set to get a boost, with approval for six new posts in the Additional Family Judge Court in Jalandhar, a step expected to ease case pendency.
Cheema announced that the state will hold a special session dedicated to Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji on November 24 at Anandpur Sahib. The session will honour the Guru’s life, principles and supreme sacrifice.
