Punjab Cabinet clears governance reforms to boost citizen-centric services; Banur elevated to tehsil

The Punjab Cabinet, under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, on Monday cleared a series of administrative and governance reforms aimed at directly easing citizens’ daily interactions with the Punjab government.

The Cabinet approved the upgradation of sub-tehsil Banur to a full-fledged tehsil in Mohali district, created Hariana as a new sub-tehsil in Hoshiarpur, pushed amendments to modernise land revenue laws through digital records, and granted long-pending relief to Special Teacher Educators under Samagra Shiksha, signalling a clear shift towards citizen-first, service-oriented governance.

Sharing details of the decisions taken at the Cabinet meeting, the Chief Minister’s Office said the move will significantly ease access to administrative services for residents and reduce the need for long-distance travel for routine official work. The decision has been taken in the larger public interest to ensure faster and more convenient service delivery.

Among other decisions, the Cabinet has approved amendments to the Punjab Land Revenue Act, 1887, concerning the appeals process. The changes are aimed at reducing unnecessary litigation, saving time for litigants, and preventing avoidable harassment of non-litigants. The amendments will also give legal sanctity to digital records and digital signatures, strengthening citizen-friendly, paperless record-keeping and improving transparency in land administration.

The Cabinet also approved a one-time relaxation in the upper age limit for contractual Special Teacher Educators working under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyaan to enable their regularisation in the Department of School Education, Punjab. This decision will ensure continuity of inclusive education for Children with Special Needs by retaining trained and experienced educators. The Cabinet clarified that this measure will not place any additional financial burden on the state exchequer.