Chandigarh, Dec 29 (IANS) The Punjab Cabinet, presided over by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, on Monday cleared a series of administrative and governance reforms aimed at directly easing citizens’ daily interactions with the government.

Also, the Cabinet approved the upgradation of Banur to a 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.

The Chief Minister’s Office said these decisions will significantly ease access to administrative services for residents and reduce the need for long-distance travel for routine official work. They have been taken in the larger public interest to ensure faster and more convenient service delivery.

In a major relief to residents, the Cabinet also 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 noted that the government has already launched the e-services portal to simplify land-related procedures.

Through this platform, citizens can apply online for Khangi Taqseem (family partition) by submitting basic details through a simple, single-click process.

This initiative will help streamline land demarcation, resolve disputes amicably, facilitate buying and selling of land, enable timely compensation for crop damage, and make it easier to obtain Zamabandi copies.

The Cabinet 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.

This decision will ensure continuity of inclusive education for special children by retaining trained and experienced educators.

The Cabinet clarified that this measure will not place any additional financial burden on the state exchequer.

–IANS

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