India
oi-Oneindia Staff
In order to provide better health facilities to livestock owners, the Cabinet also approved the extension of the services of 449 Veterinary Pharmacists and 451 Safai Sewaks working in 582 Veterinary Hospitals across the state as service providers for one more year from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027.
The Punjab Cabinet extended veterinary staff services until March 2027, created the Tarsika Block in Amritsar comprising 64 Gram Panchayats, approved three digital universities, authorized filling 19 PWD Draftsman posts, and passed the Punjab Protection of Trees Bill, 2026, plus amendments to GST and Panchayati Raj Acts.
Approves Creation of Block Tarsika From Block Jandiala Guru in Amritsar
The Cabinet gives approval to create Block Tarsika from Block Jandiala Guru in Amritsar district in the larger public interest. Block Tarsika will be created in Amritsar district by taking out 64 Gram Panchayats from Block Jandiala Guru. This new Tarsika Block will include 64 out of 121 village panchayats from the Jandiala Guru Block. With the formation of this Tarsika Block, the development activities of these 64 villages will get a boost.
Gives Nod to Set Up Three New Digital Open Universities in the State
To attract best quality Educational Institutions of national and international repute to the State of Punjab, the Government of Punjab has prepared the Punjab Private Digital Open Universities Policy, 2026. As per the policy, the Cabinet also gave nod to Cloud University at Bohan, Hoshiarpur, MS Digital University at Fatehpur and Physicswallah Digital University at Nandpur Kesho in Patiala. The setting up of these universities is expected to bring quality education to the city and will help in the overall development of the area.
Gives Approval to Fill 19 Posts of Draftsman (Civil) in PWD
The Cabinet also gave approval to fill 19 posts of Draftsman (Civil) through direct recruitment in the Public Works Department, Punjab with the objective of strengthening the functioning of the Department and ensuring the timely execution of developmental projects. A significant number of posts in the Draftsman cadre have remained vacant for a considerable period, which has adversely affected project monitoring, quality assurance, technical scrutiny and other essential departmental functions. The induction of qualified technical personnel will significantly enhance the Department’s technical capacity, improve supervision and quality monitoring of developmental works, and facilitate the efficient implementation of infrastructure projects throughout the state.
Approves Punjab Protection of Trees Bill, 2026
The Cabinet also gave consent to the Punjab Protection of Trees Bill, 2026 to maintain green cover for ensuring ecological balance, prevent pollution of the environment, provide an institutional mechanism to compensate for the environmental loss caused by the felling of trees and conserve the soil in the state of Punjab. It is worth mentioning that Punjab is an agrarian state, with about 83 percent of its area under agriculture. The total area under forest and tree cover of Punjab is about 5.92 percent and the Punjab Government has set a target to enhance it to 7.5 percent by 2030.
Approves Amendment to Punjab Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2026:
The Cabinet also gave approval to amend the Punjab Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2026 to promote voluntary compliance, reduce litigation and streamline GST procedures, thereby benefiting trade and industry across the state. The amendment will allow exclusion of post-sale discounts from the value of supply through issuance of a credit note without the requirement of a prior agreement. Further, it will allow issuance of credit notes for post-sale discounts for any commercial reason, thereby simplifying trade discount adjustments and reducing compliance burden. Likewise, it also aims to extend the benefit of 90 percent provisional refund of ITC in cases of inverted duty structure and allow refund of IGST paid on exports of goods even where the refund amount is below ₹1,000, thereby improving liquidity and facilitating exports.
Approves Amendment to Punjab Panchayati Raj Act, 1994
The Cabinet also gave concurrence to amend the Punjab Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 to streamline the functioning of the Rural Development Department and merge the cadres of Panchayat Secretaries and Gram Sewaks to create a new cadre of Panchayat Development Secretary. The existing Panchayat Secretaries, upon submission of a self-declaration, shall be placed at the tail of the existing seniority list of Gram Sewaks (VDOs). The existing Panchayat Secretaries who fail to submit the required self-declaration within one month from the date of issue of the notification shall continue to remain in the cadre of Panchayat Secretaries, which has been declared as a dying cadre.
