The Punjab government has approved the establishment of 236 new Aam Aadmi Clinics to strengthen primary healthcare and expand access to free medical services across the state. Health Minister Dr. Balbir Singh announced that these clinics will be set up soon with adequate medical staff and infrastructure to provide free consultations, medicines, and diagnostic tests, with a strong focus on preventive healthcare. The initiative aims to improve healthcare accessibility in rural and underserved regions while easing the burden on major hospitals. This decision follows the remarkable success of existing Aam Aadmi Clinics, which have achieved over 96% patient satisfaction across Punjab.
The Punjab government has approved a sweeping river desilting initiative covering 85 sites across the Ravi and Sutlej rivers (plus 28 identified sites on the Beas, though desilting there is pending Centre approval due to its Ramsar site status). The project is expected to extract about 190 crore cubic feet of silt and generate approximately ₹840 crore in revenue from sand sales. To speed things up, the state has reduced the tendering time from 21 to 14 days. The plan follows major flood damage in 2023 and 2025, and aims to increase river flow capacity, prevent flood-overflow, protect riverbanks, and reduce risk in rural and urban areas.
In a recent Punjab Cabinet meeting, several key decisions were approved to strengthen governance and welfare. The government sanctioned the deployment of sniffer dogs in jails to curb drug trafficking, increased crop-loss compensation up to ₹20,000 per acre, and raised relief amounts for damaged houses. Additionally, amendments were made to the e auction policy, and deadlines for mega housing projects were extended to provide flexibility to developers. These measures aim to enhance law enforcement, support farmers and citizens affected by natural disasters, and improve administrative efficiency.
The Punjab government has announced the launch of a Unified Citizen Portal to streamline access to government services across the state. This portal will integrate multiple departmental services through web, mobile, WhatsApp, and Sewa Kendras, allowing citizens to access services conveniently from a single platform. The initiative aims to enhance transparency, reduce paperwork, and simplify service delivery, making governance more efficient and citizen-friendly. It is part of the state’s broader push toward digital governance and ease of doing business.
The state government announced the removal of prior constraints on the formation of new cooperative societies (PACS, milk societies, labour societies), rescinding rules like the “8 km distance” rule for labour societies, to encourage more participation and fair access.