Chandigarh, June 2:

The Punjab Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, on Monday approved the introduction of a New and progressive Land Pooling Policy in the state to promote planned and sustainable development.

The decision was taken during a meeting of the Council of Ministers held at the Chief Minister’s official residence.

A spokesperson from the Chief Minister’s Office disclosed that the new policy aims to involve landowners, promoters, and companies as stakeholders in the development process and to increase interest in land pooling among landowners. The revised scheme has been rationalised to benefit small and marginal farmers significantly, offering more options to landowners, which will boost group housing and planned development, ultimately benefiting the common man. The policy is designed to ensure holistic development by integrating every stakeholder into the process.

The new policy will be a game changer for the state as it will provide Major Benefits for Farmers. There will be No More Exploitation of Farmers and Under this Policy, farmers will directly benefit by crores of rupees. No Private Developers or Land Mafia Can Exploit Farmers as the policy ensures that farmers are protected from exploitation by private players.

Complete Authority Lies with the Farmer and It will be 100% their l decision whether to give land to the government or not. Farmers can either keep their land and continue farming or choose to sell it. There will be no forced acquisition as used to happen earlier.

Nothing Will Proceed Without the Farmer’s Written Consent (NOC) and the Land Will Be Given Directly to the Government, Not to Private Developers. Government Will Fully Develop the Land and Return Plots to the Farmers and These Plots Will Include All Facilities Like Roads, electricity and water connections, sewerage pipes, street lights, and parks.

The Value of These Plots Will Be Up to four Times the Market Rate. Each Farmer Will Receive a Written Document from the Government and This letter will clearly mention the farmer’s full entitlement. Farmers can choose to receive two plots of 500 square yards each and They will have complete freedom to keep or sell them. The Benefits Are Not Limited to Just one Acre and the more land a farmer contributes, the greater will the profit.

Apart from it there will be Additional Benefits Through Partnership as If a Farmer Contributes nine acres, they Will Receive three Acres of Developed Group Housing Land. If Multiple Farmers Pool Together 50 Acres of Land for the Government, they Will Receive 30 Acres of Fully Developed Land in Return. This Policy stipulates End of Land Mafia Rule and there will be complete ban enforced on illegal colonies.

*Approval for Conditional Partial Surrender and Cancellation of Licenses Issued to Colonies*

The Cabinet also approved the Partial Surrender and Partial Cancellation of Licenses issued to colonies under the Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Act (PAPRA), 1995, as well as the Partial Cancellation of approvals granted to industrial park projects.

A policy in this regard was notified on March 10, 2025, concerning the surrender of licenses for developing colonies under the PAPRA Act and approvals for industrial parks. This decision allows for partial surrender of licensed areas, subject to certain conditions, and partial suspension or cancellation of licenses for such projects.

Incentives Approved for Allottees Making Lump Sum Payments for Plots

To encourage allottees and bidders of residential, commercial, and other property plots to make lump sum payments of 75% of the total amount, the Cabinet approved a series of incentives. A 15% discount on the cost of the plot/site will be offered to allottees who make a lump sum payment. This measure is expected to ensure consolidated revenue for the state government while also reducing the number of defaulters.

Cabinet Clears Hike in EDC, CLU Charges to Boost Development

To further facilitate the state’s holistic development and boost revenue generation, the Cabinet approved an increase in External Development Charges (EDC), Change of Land Use Charges (CLU), License Fees (LF), and other charges applicable to real estate promoters.

These promoters are required to pay EDC under the PAPRA Act and for Mega Projects under the Punjab Government’s Mega Project Policy. The last revision of these charges was notified on May 6, 2016, with a provision to increase the rates by 10% annually starting April 1.

However, the government waived the annual hike for several years. The charges have been increased from April 1, 2020, and have gone up by approximately 77% since 2016. Going forward, CLU charges, EDC, and license fees will be increased by 10% annually, compounded from April 1, 2026.

Chandigarh, June 2:

On the last day of filing nominations for 64-Ludhiana West, 8 nomination papers have been submitted.

Punjab’s Chief Electoral Officer, Sibin C, informed that on Monday, nomination papers have been filed by Jiwan Gupta, the candidate from the Bharatiya Janata Party, and Sunita Rani (covering candidate). In addition, Navneet Kumar has submitted his nomination from the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar). In addition, five independent candidates Harminder Arora, Bhola Singh, Renu, Pawandeep Singh and Gurdeep Singh Kahlon have also filed their nomination papers. He further stated that the total number of candidates who have filed nominations has now reached 22.

It is noteworthy that the scrutiny of nomination papers will be conducted on June 3, while the last date for withdrawal of nominations is June 5.

Chandigarh, June 2:

In a significant push to enhance the higher education landscape in Punjab, Higher Education Minister S. Harjot Singh Bains today directed officials to expedite the processing of proposals from private colleges seeking university status. The move aims to streamline the upgradation process, reinforce academic excellence, and expand access to quality higher education in the state.

To ensure effective coordination and real-time monitoring, the Education Minister designated Director Higher Education, Mr. Girish Dayalan, as the Nodal Officer for overseeing the progress of all such proposals.

Chairing a high-level meeting with chairpersons and directors of leading private colleges, the Minister reiterated the Punjab Government’s commitment under the leadership of Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann to reform and revitalize the education sector through efficient, transparent, and merit-driven processes.

“This initiative reflects our resolve to provide Punjab’s youth with increased access to quality education and better employment prospects. We are committed to removing unnecessary delays and creating a robust ecosystem for higher learning and make Punjab Education hub for India,” said S. Harjot Singh Bains.

Officials have been instructed to conduct a merit-based review of pending applications and to accelerate decision-making processes, with a focus on transparency, fairness, and efficiency. The government also aims to harness the capabilities of the private sector to complement public initiatives and catalyse academic growth across the state.

The meeting witnessed participation from representatives of 18 private institutions, including CGC Group Mohali, Rayat Bahra Hoshiarpur, Sri Sukhmani Group Dera Bassi, Babe Ke Group Daudhar (Moga), Sher-E-Punjab University Lalru, JIS Group Ludhiana, and Baba Farid Group Bathinda, among others. Stakeholder feedback and concerns were actively noted, with the Minister assuring responsive and facilitative governance in the days ahead.

CHANDIGARH, June 2:

          With the war against drugs “Yudh Nashian Virudh” waged on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to eradicate drug menace from state entered 93rd day, Punjab Police on Monday arrested 98 drug smugglers and recovered 1.5 kg heroin, 2508 intoxicant pills and Rs 3900 drug money from their possession. With this, the number of total drug smugglers arrested has reached to 15,117 in just 93 days.

          The operation was conducted on the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav simultaneously in all 28 Police districts of the state.

          Notably, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann has asked the Commissioners of Police, Deputy Commissioners and Senior Superintendent of Police to make Punjab drug free state. The Punjab government has also constituted a 5-member Cabinet Sub Committee led by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema to monitor the war against drugs.

          Divulging details, Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla informed that over 200 Police teams, comprising over 1400 police personnel, under the supervision of 93 gazetted officers have conducted raids at as many as 510 locations across the state leading to the registration of 77 first information reports (FIRs) across the state. Police teams have also checked as many as 523 suspicious persons during the day-long operation, he added.

          The Special DGP said that with the state government has enforced a three-pronged strategy— Enforcement, Deaddiction and Prevention (EDP)— to eradicate drugs from the state, the Punjab Police as part of ‘De-addiction’ has convinced 60 persons to undergo de-addiction and rehabilitation treatment today.

Chandigarh, June 1 – Haryana Chief Minister Sh. Nayab Singh Saini said the ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ initiative launched by Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s 140th birth anniversary on October 31, 2015, will further strengthen India’s unity and integrity.

The Chief Minister was talking to eminent personalities of various states residing in Haryana who had come to meet him at his official residence ‘Sant Kabir Kutir’ here today.

On this occasion, the Chief Minister said the hardworking people of various states living in Haryana have an important contribution in the development of the state. With the brotherhood and cooperative spirit of all, Haryana is constantly moving on the path of progress.

The Chief Minister requested the people to cooperate in fulfilling the Prime Minister’s dream of creating a ‘Viksit Bharat’ by the year 2047. He said the ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ camapign, which started in the year 2015, has grown from an idea to a national movement, connecting the soul of India today. He said it is inspired by the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’. He further said that through this innovative campaign of the Prime Minister, the knowledge of culture, traditions and practices of different states and union territories will create better understanding and connection between the states, which will strengthen the unity of the country.

The Chief Minister said although different states of the country vary in geography, the relationship among all of them is of shared heritage of history, culture, sacrifice and struggle. When people from every corner of India come together, the foundation of ‘Shrestha Bharat’ becomes stronger.

Sh. Nayab Singh Saini said Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi’s vision is that no citizen of the country should face any problem in doing his work. Recalling the Coronavirus period, he said when people’s businesses had come to a standstill, the Prime Minister had fed every poor person by giving them free foodgrains.

On this occasion, Haryana’s Public Works Minister Sh. Ranbir Gangwa, Chief Minister’s OSD Sh. Bharat Bhushan Bharti, BJP National General Secretary Sh. Tarun Chugh, General Secretary Dr. Archana Gupta, former Mayor Madan Chauhan, and Sanjay Thekedar were also present.

Chandigarh, June 1 – The Entrance Examination for the term commencing in January 2026 at Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), Dehradun was conducted by the Haryana Sainik and Ardh Sainik Welfare Department at Government P.G. College for Women, Sector-14, Panchkula today.

 The exam was conducted in a fair, smooth and transparent manner. Around 257 students of Haryana appeared in the examination. 

The Rashtriya Indian Military College, Dehradun was established in 1922 with the primary aim of providing all round quality education to Indian boys and Girls so that RIMC could provide more Officers for the Armed Forces. The college provides Public School Education to young boys in the age group of 11 to 18 years, specially selected through an All India competitive Examination.

Chandigarh, June 1 – The Haryana Excise and Taxation Department today conducted the 3rd round of auction for excise retail liquor vends. In the 3rd round, auctions of retail vends of 6 districts, namely Gurugram (East), Karnal, Palwal, Rewari, Jind and Yamunanagar, were conducted. The bids were opened by the committee chaired by Deputy Commissioners of the concerned districts.

Excise Commissioner Sh. Vinay Pratap Singh stated that the Department has received good response in the 3rd round of excise auctions as compared to the earlier round of auctions with 184 zones getting allotted out of 270 zones. He said wide participation in the auction process of the 184 zones shows a better response to the State’s Excise Policy. The state has been able to secure the licence fee of approx Rs 2707 crore from the auctioned zones of 5 districts, exhibiting a high increase from the license fee received in the same round in last excise policy year. To realise appropriate revenue, the department has decided to cancel the auction of 3 zones against which bids were received today and auction all zones afresh in Yamunanagar. The remaining 142 zones of these 6 districts will again be put for auction in the 1st week of June.

The Excise & Taxation Department has scheduled the next round of auctions for all districts on 3rd, 4th & 5th June.

Chandigarh/Dirba, June 1:

The Dirba constituency today witnessed a wave of development as Punjab Finance Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema laid the foundation stones of Baba Saheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar Community Hall in Dirba, which will be constructed at a cost of around Rs.2 crores and a 17-kilometer canal water pipeline project worth around Rs.2.20 crore in Village Janal of Dirba constituency. 

After laying the foundation stone of the community hall, the Cabinet Minister announced that the construction of community hall, having seating capacity of 500 people, will be completed within 6 months.

He said that Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government is committed to the comprehensive development of the state and as part of this initiative, development works are being carried out at a rapid pace across constituencies, ensuring that all challenges faced by the people are systematically addressed.

The Cabinet Minister said that a long-standing demand of the scheduled castes and economically disadvantaged families of Dirba for construction of the hall has been fulfilled.

The Cabinet Minister stressed, this hall will benefit a large number of people, particularly enabling poor and middle-class families to conduct their joyous and solemn occasions with great convenience, noting that when poor and middle-class families are compelled to organize their events at expensive venues by taking loans, they become burdened under debt for several years, with their financial difficulties remaining unresolved. However, this community hall will prove to be extremely beneficial for the people and will also protect them from falling into debt, he added. S. Cheema also informed that grants have been released for the three gates of the Gurdwara Sahib in Dirba.

Earlier, laying the foundation stone of a 17-kilometer canal water pipeline project in village Janal, the Finance Minister said that this is the part of initiative focused on ensuring that every agricultural field of the the state receive canal water facilities.

S. Cheema said that upon completion of this pipeline, around 850 acres of agricultural land will receive canal water supply. He said that the Punjab Government’s objective is to ensure that every drop of canal water in Punjab reaches the farmers’ fields. This initiative will not only conserve groundwater resources but also result in significant cost savings for farmers while substantially enhancing soil fertility, he categorically added.

He informed that canal water pipeline installation work is progressing at a rapid pace across various villages in the constituency, which will provide canal water facilities to a vast area of Dirba constituency and reduce dependence on groundwater.

With groundwater conservation in mind, he urged farmers to prioritize direct seeding of paddy. The area under direct seeding in the constituency had increased last year and is expected to expand further this year. He said that if water resources are not preserved, agricultural activities in the state will become impossible. The government’s efforts to provide canal water will prove instrumental in conserving groundwater resources, said the Finance Minister.

The Cabinet Minister mentioned that special focus is being laid to the development of villages of the Dirba constituency and he is diligently overseeing the completion of various development projects under his supervision. The Dirba constituency is emerging as an exemplary model throughout the state, he added.

Prominent amongst others who were present on this occasion included OSD Tapinder Singh Sohi, President Municipal Panchayat Dirba Maninder Singh, SDM Dirba Rajesh Kumar Sharma, DSP Dirba Dr. Rupinder Kaur Bajwa, SDO Public Works Daljit Singh, JE Jivanjot Singh, Ajay Singla (former President of Truck Union), Sunil Bansal, Mangat Rai (former President of Sheller Association), Municipal Councillors, Sarpanch Harpreet Singh, Panchayat members Mandeep Singh, Gurtej Singh, Raj Singh, Navdeep Kaur, Harbias Singh, Harpreet Kaur, Harpinder Kaur, Simranjit Singh and Harbans Kaur.

CHANDIGARH:

With the war against drugs “Yudh Nashian Virudh” waged on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to eradicate drug menace from state entered 92nd day, Punjab Police on Sunday arrested 113 drug smugglers and recovered 2.09 kg heroin, 530 grams opium, 32679 intoxicant pills and Rs 1.8 lakhs drug money from their possession. With this, the number of total drug smugglers arrested has reached to 14,944 in just 92 days.

The operation was conducted on the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav simultaneously in all 28 Police districts of the state.

Notably, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann has asked the Commissioners of Police, Deputy Commissioners and Senior Superintendent of Police to make Punjab drug free state. The Punjab government has also constituted a 5-member Cabinet Sub Committee led by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema to monitor the war against drugs.

Divulging details, Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla informed that over 200 Police teams, comprising over 1400 police personnel, under the supervision of 86 gazetted officers have conducted raids at as many as 461 locations across the state leading to the registration of 83 first information reports (FIRs) across the state. Police teams have also checked as many as 382 suspicious persons during the day-long operation, he added.

The Special DGP said that with the state government has enforced a three-pronged strategy— Enforcement, Deaddiction and Prevention (EDP)— to eradicate drugs from the state, the Punjab Police as part of ‘De-addiction’ has convinced 92 persons to undergo de-addiction and rehabilitation treatment today.

Meanwhile, Police teams have also conducted checking at as many as 106 pharmaceutical shops in five districts including Fazilka, Ferozepur, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Faridkot and Moga to ensure that they are not selling intoxicant tablets or any other habit-forming drugs, and are adhering to the prescribed norms and regulations regarding the sale of medicines.

Chandigarh:

Punjab’s financial position continues to strengthen impressively, with the state registering a record 25.31% growth in net GST collection for the month of May 2025, as compared to the same month last year. This marks the highest-ever GST collection for the month of May in Punjab’s history. The net GST revenue rose to ₹2,006.31 crore in May 2025, up from ₹1,601.14 crore in May 2024 — showing a remarkable increase of ₹405.17 crore. In comparison, May 2024 had seen a growth of ₹121 crore (8.17%) over ₹1,480 crore collected in May 2023. This year’s performance clearly indicates a robust and accelerating growth trend in Punjab’s fiscal health.

Announcing these figures on Sunday, Punjab Finance, Planning, Excise, and Taxation Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema attributed the impressive growth to strong tax administration, enhanced compliance, and a resilient economic environment fostered under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann. He emphasized that the AAP Government’s commitment to financial prudence and economic reform has led to this consistent upward trend in revenue.

Minister Cheema further noted that this surge not only represents the highest year-on-year monthly growth in recent years but also outpaced the national average GST growth, establishing Punjab among the top-performing states in tax mobilization. “We have curbed tax evasion, improved field-level enforcement, and enabled a seamless taxation framework that supports businesses while safeguarding state revenues,” he added.

This fiscal milestone is particularly commendable given the challenges Punjab faced as a border state, including heightened India-Pakistan tensions and a war-like situation during the period. Despite these constraints, the state achieved a growth rate that more than tripled the corresponding growth of 8.17% in May 2024.

The Finance Minister emphasized that Punjab’s record GST growth in May 2025 was driven by a combination of improved compliance, proactive taxpayer engagement, and robust enforcement by the Taxation Department. Key actions included the physical verification of 195 bogus firms, leading to the blocking of ₹75.79 crore in fraudulent Input Tax Credit (ITC); detection of major tax evasion in the coal sector, involving off-book transactions exceeding ₹225 crore and ₹11.65 crore in evaded tax; and the uncovering of ₹900 crore in bogus gold bullion transactions in Ludhiana, with ₹21 crore of ineligible ITC blocked.

Finance Minister Cheema applauded the efforts of the Taxation Department’s officers and field staff for their dedication and impactful enforcement. He stated that this additional revenue would provide further strength to the State Government’s development initiatives and enhance public service delivery.

Looking ahead to June 2025, the department is committed to maintaining this momentum and achieving even higher growth, building on the solid foundation of policy reform, administrative efficiency, and fiscal discipline.