The North News
Chandigarh, December 29
The Punjab Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, has approved a set of administrative and governance reforms aimed at making everyday dealings with the state government quicker and more accessible for citizens.
At its meeting on Monday, the Cabinet cleared the upgradation of Sub-Tehsil Banur into a full-fledged tehsil in Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar district and approved the creation of Hariana as a new sub-tehsil in Hoshiarpur district. Officials said the changes would bring government services closer to residents and reduce the need for long-distance travel for routine administrative work.
The Chief Minister’s Office said the decisions were taken in the larger public interest to ensure faster service delivery and ease pressure on existing administrative units.
The Cabinet also approved amendments to the Punjab Land Revenue Act, 1887, with a focus on streamlining the appeals process. The government said the changes would help cut down unnecessary litigation, save time for litigants and prevent harassment of non-litigants.
As part of the reform, digital land records and digital signatures will be given legal sanctity, a move aimed at strengthening transparency and promoting paperless governance in land administration.
Officials pointed out that the state has already launched an online e-services portal to simplify land-related procedures. Through the platform, citizens can apply for family partition and other services using a simplified, single-click process, helping speed up land demarcation, dispute resolution, property transactions and access to official land records.
In another key decision, the Cabinet approved a one-time relaxation in the upper age limit for contractual Special Teacher Educators working under the Samagra Shiksha programme. The move will allow their regularisation in the Department of School Education, Punjab.
The government said the decision would help ensure continuity of inclusive education for children with special needs by retaining trained and experienced educators, adding that the measure would not place any additional financial burden on the state exchequer.
