Punjab cabinet decisions: Paddy procurement from September 16, Majithia prosecution sanction okayed
The Punjab cabinet has also okayed creation of 1,600 new posts, including assistant sub-inspectors (1,000), sub-inspectors (450) and inspectors (150), in district cadre
Preponing paddy procurement from September 16 and granting prosecution sanction against Bikram Singh Majithia were among the few decisions taken by the Punjab council of ministers on Monday.
While giving clearance to the custom milling policy for the current paddy procurement (kharif marketing season 2025-26), the cabinet decided to prepone the paddy procurement from September 16 against the previous years’ schedule of October 1.
According to officials in the food and civil supplies department, chief minister Bhagwant Mann had promised to facilitate the paddy growers who had cultivated short duration varieties. “The government would open mandis from September 16, but we are not expecting arrivals by then as it may take another week to 10 days for crop to mature keeping in view the flooding,” an official said. Paddy procurement would be completed till November 30.
It has been proposed in “The Punjab Custom Milling Policy for Kharif 2025-26” that the rice millers will deliver the due rice of paddy stored up to March 31.
The cabinet also granted prosecution sanction against former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia under Section 19 of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988.
As per advice of the state’s advocate general, the matter with regard to granting of prosecution sanction of the former minister first needs to be discussed in the council of ministers and thereafter it will be sent to the governor for a formal order.
Majithia was arrested from Amritsar in June in a disproportionate assets case allegedly involving laundering of ₹540 crore of “drug money”. A 40,000 page challan was presented against him last month.
In the FIR, the Vigilance Bureau had claimed that preliminary investigations revealed that more than ₹540 crore of “drug money” had been laundered through several ways, and Majithia allegedly facilitated it. This FIR stems from an ongoing investigation into the 2021 drug case.In 2021, Majithia was booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. He had spent more than five months in Patiala jail and had walked out of prison in August 2022 after the Punjab and Haryana high court granted him bail.
Amendment to Punjab Town Improvement Act, 1922
The cabinet approved amendment to the Punjab Town Improvement Act, 1922, to enable the urban local bodies to utilise funds of the improvement trusts through the Municipal Development Fund, which was established to undertake urban infrastructure works for which allocation is received from the state budget. To enable utilisation of funds received by the improvement trusts through disposal of their properties for undertaking urban infrastructure works by the urban local bodies, a clause has been added stipulating that such portion of money shall be transferred towards the municipal development fund.
Amendment to Minor Mineral Policy, 2023
A nod was given to make amendments to Punjab State Minor Mineral Policy, 2023 and rules of Punjab Minor Minerals Rules, 2013. These modifications are related to auction, grant of mining rights, period of concession, concession amount, payment of security deposit, change in responsibility for seeking environment clearance, introducing the concept of “dead rent”, both in the Punjab State Minor Mineral Policy 2023 and Punjab Minor Minerals Rules 2013.
Regular jobs for 1,007 non-teaching staff
The cabinet also gave its concurrence to create 1,007 posts in the school education department and regularisation of services of non-teaching staff under Samagra Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA) against these posts.
Amendment to Education Service Rules, 2018
The cabinet okayed amendment to Punjab Education Service Rules 2018 to further streamline the process of promotions in the education department. The move is expected to benefit approximately 1,500 teachers. This amendment shall make way for fresh recruitments and open job opportunities for aspiring candidates.
1,600 new police posts
The cabinet gave nod for creation of 1,600 new posts, including assistant sub-inspectors (1,000), sub-inspectors (450) and inspectors (150) in district cadre of Punjab Police. These posts will be filled through promotion, thereby creating 1,600 posts of constables.
Other decisions
To bring uniformity across the district courts of Punjab, Haryana and UT Chandigarh for effective implementation of the three new criminal laws, the cabinet okayed Punjab Community Service Guidelines, 2025. The cabinet also gave its concurrence for ensuring pay protection on transfer (merger) of rural medical officers working under Zila Parishad to the department of health and family welfare. A nod was given to formulate a policy to honour doctors working under the state’s department of health, for their excellent services.
