Punjab Politics & Governance

Punjab launches Mawan-Dhiyan Satkar Yojana for women

1 August 2026

Punjab launched the Mawan-Dhiyan Satkar Yojana at a state-level event in Pathankot, providing monthly direct financial assistance to eligible women. The announced rates are ₹1,000 per month for general-category beneficiaries and ₹1,500 for Scheduled Caste beneficiaries; the August disbursement was described as three months’ assistance paid together.

The Chief Minister said assistance had been transferred to 35.5 lakh additional women, taking the reported total number of beneficiaries to 68.5 lakh. Registration was continuing, and the government had reserved ₹9,300 crore for the scheme.

Key Facts

• The scheme supports eligible women’s financial autonomy through monthly direct bank transfers, with a higher amount for Scheduled Caste beneficiaries.

Bathinda agriculture officer advises cotton growers on pink bollworm

1 August 2026

Bathinda’s chief agriculture officer advised cotton growers to monitor their fields for pink bollworm and use insecticides recommended by Punjab Agricultural University. The advisory noted that cotton was at the flowering and fruiting stage and urged farmers to contact local agriculture officers if they observed signs of infestation.

For early-sown crops, the officer cited pink bollworm in five out of 100 flowers as a threshold for considering treatment and advised using one of the specified products at its prescribed rate.

Key Facts

• Pink bollworm larvae damage cotton bolls, reducing both crop yield and fibre quality if infestations are not controlled promptly.

Punjab reports 20% GST revenue growth in April–July 2026

1 August 2026

Punjab reported ₹10,447.9 crore in gross GST revenue for April–July 2026, a 20% increase over ₹8,708.48 crore in the same period a year earlier. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema attributed the rise to improved tax compliance, technology-based administration and enforcement against tax evasion.

For July alone, the state reported gross GST collections of ₹2,614.45 crore, up 8.31% year on year. The minister also said July SGST cash collections rose 16.23% to ₹948.29 crore.

Key Facts

• India’s dual GST model divides intrastate taxation between Central GST, collected by the Union, and State GST, collected by states.

Two Schools of Eminence inaugurated in Ludhiana

2 August 2026

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann inaugurated Schools of Eminence at Kidwai Nagar and Miller Ganj in Ludhiana. The reported project costs were ₹10.62 crore and ₹3.48 crore, respectively; with the two campuses, Ludhiana had 16 Schools of Eminence.

Key Facts

• Schools of Eminence seek to provide quality education to children from poorer backgrounds, supported by modern classrooms, laboratories and other facilities.

Punjab sanitation workers end strike and resume cleaning

3 August 2026

Punjab sanitation workers ended their strike after discussions with the state government, and cleaning work resumed in several cities. The government accepted key union demands, including improved pay and changes to employment arrangements.

The announced pay for eligible outsourced sanitation workers and sewer workers with three years of service was ₹20,520 a month during probation, with about ₹17,000 described as take-home pay. The strike had disrupted municipal cleaning services.

Key Facts

• The in-sourcing policy brings outsourced sanitation and sewer workers with three years’ service under government employment arrangements and regular-equivalent probation pay.

Punjab launches digital mining management portal

3 August 2026

Punjab Mining and Geology Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal launched the Punjab Mining Management System (PMMS) portal to digitise mining applications, approvals, records, transport monitoring and payments. The first phase covers key mining modules, with new applications to be handled through the platform; the second phase, covering crusher and interstate modules, was scheduled to begin on 20 August.

Key Facts

• The National Informatics Centre developed PMMS, an integrated portal being introduced in two phases.
• PMMS replaces manual processes with centralised digital records and real-time access, aiming to reduce delays and improve decisions.

Foundation stone laid for Sujanpur–Jugial PMGSY road

3 August 2026

A foundation stone was laid for reconstruction of the Sujanpur–Jugial road in Pathankot district under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. The planned 8.9-kilometre road has an estimated cost of ₹10.40 crore and is intended to improve connectivity for Sujanpur and nearby villages.

Key Facts

• PMGSY is a nationwide scheme intended to provide all-weather road connectivity to villages that lack reliable road access.

High Court directs Punjab to pay pending DA arrears within 15 days

3 August ...