Retired IAS officer Mr. Sanjay Gupta today assumed charge as Chairperson of the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC).

Punjab Power Minister S. Tarunpreet Singh Sond administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr. Sanjay Gupta at Vikas Bhawan, Mohali. Mr. Gupta was a 1988 batch retired IAS officer who has also served as Chief Secretary of Himachal Pradesh and several other prominent positions.

Congratulating Mr. Gupta on assuming the prestigious responsibility, Power Minister S. Sond expressed confidence that his vast administrative experience and deep understanding of governance would further strengthen the regulatory framework of the power sector in Punjab. He said that the Punjab Government, under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, is committed to ensuring transparent, consumer-friendly and efficient power regulation in the state and the Commission has a pivotal role in achieving these objectives.

On this occasion, newly appointed Chairperson Sanjay Gupta thanked the Punjab Government for reposing faith in him and assured that the Commission would continue to work in accordance with the provisions of the Electricity Act, 2003, while safeguarding the interests of consumers and promoting the overall development of the power sector.

Mr. Gupta said that he would work to ensure availability of quality power to consumers with minimum power cuts. He added that the desired results could be achieved by controlling transmission losses and resolving the issues.

CMD PSPCL Dr. Basant Garg, members PSERC Ravinder Singh Saini and Ravi Kumar, Director distribution Inderpal Singh among other senior officers of the Power Department, PSERC, family members of newly appointed Chairperson and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

In a move expected to ease pressure on government hospitals and bring healthcare closer to thousands of patients, the Bhagwant Mann Government has allowed 17 additional medical procedures to be carried out at empanelled private hospitals under the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana (MMSY). The decision, coupled with the inclusion of individuals living alone in the scheme, marks a significant expansion of the state’s universal health insurance scheme.

For countless families across Punjab, a hospital visit often means long queues, crowded wards and anxious waits for treatment. In an important step towards reducing that burden, the state government has broadened access to healthcare by permitting 17 medical procedures, previously restricted to government hospitals, to be performed at empanelled private institutions under the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana.

The decision has effectively shortened the list of procedures reserved exclusively for government hospitals, opening the door for beneficiaries to seek treatment at a much larger network of healthcare providers. Health minister Dr Balbir Singh shared that the move will improve accessibility, particularly in districts where specialised services are scarce or government facilities are struggling with heavy patient loads. “This is expected to reduce pressure on major government facilities, shorten waiting times, and improve access to timely care,” he said.

The newly approved procedures cover a wide range of medical specialities, which will help people get treated closer to their homes instead of travelling long distances to overcrowded tertiary hospitals.

In Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) care, patients can now undergo fracture setting of the nasal bone and adenoidectomy at empanelled private hospitals. These are common procedures that often require timely intervention, especially among children and accident victims.

General Surgery has witnessed one of the largest expansions. Procedures such as hydrocele operations, incision and drainage of abscesses, appendicectomy, and both open and laparoscopic gall bladder surgeries have now been brought within the ambit of private hospitals participating in the scheme. For many patients, this could mean shorter waiting periods and treatment closer to home.

Women’s healthcare has also received considerable attention. The expanded list includes medical termination of pregnancy beyond 12 weeks, hysterotomy, hospitalisation for antenatal complications, and examination under anaesthesia for minor girls, unmarried sexually inactive women and survivors of sexual abuse.

These additions will help ensure more timely and accessible care for vulnerable patients. Similarly, eye care and orthopaedic services have been strengthened. Ophthalmology procedures such as pterygium excision and entropion correction can now be performed at empanelled private hospitals. Orthopaedic patients will also benefit from access to surgeries involving tendon release, treatment of small-joint injuries and corrective operations for ankle fractures. Package rates for the newly approved procedures range from ₹2,000 to ₹27,800.

The announcement comes alongside another noteworthy expansion of the scheme. People living alone, including senior citizens, widows and others residing independently, are now eligible for coverage.

Previously, the universal health insurance programme was limited to families with at least two members. The benefit has also been extended to parents whose children are settled abroad. Applicants will be required to provide valid Punjab Aadhaar and Voter Identity cards, while those below 18 years must furnish birth certificates. Independent residents seeking enrolment must submit a declaration that will be verified by local elected representatives before approval.

According to a report from the State health agency (SHA) nearly 65 lakh families are already covered under the scheme. At present, 824 hospitals, including government, central government and empanelled private institutions, are providing treatment. Covering nearly 2,300 diseases and medical procedures, the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana continues to evolve as a vital healthcare lifeline, bringing the promise of cashless treatment within reach of more Punjabis than ever before.

In a major pre-monsoon push to end sewage overflow and urban water-logging, Punjab Local Government Minister S. Harjot Singh Bains on Wednesday unveiled the state’s largest-ever sewerage delisting drive, announcing that 2,200 km of sewer lines and 1,400 chronic hotspots across all cities and towns will be cleared before the rains hit.

Local Government Minister S. Harjot Singh Bains informed that the drive covers 800 kms of main trunk lines and 1,400 kms of branch lines inside mohallas. The department has identified 1,400 chronic hotspots where sewage overflow is reported every monsoon.

“Every year, when rains come, every city and every mohalla has some points where sewage overflows. This time, under the vision of Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, we have been given a clear target, no sewage overflow anywhere in Punjab’s cities and towns,” S. Bains stated.

Sharing the city-wise breakdown, S. Bains said the drive will cover 108 km of sewer lines and 47 hotspots in Jalandhar, 93 km in Patiala, 40 km and 42 hotspots in Ludhiana, 55 km and 39 hotspots in Bathinda, 36 km in Mohali, 14 km and 15 hotspots in Zirakpur, 11 km and 11 hotspots in Kharar, 7 km and 3 hotspots in Dhuri, 21 km in Kotkapura and 7 km in Nangal, where desilting is being done for the first time.

All local body and Sewerage Board JEs and other staff have been given special training for the drive, said the Local Government Minister, while stating, “We have deployed super-suction machines and high-capacity jetting equipment. Separate control rooms and digital dashboards are being set up for real-time information.”

He further shared that P rogress will be monitored daily through a dashboard and accountability has been fixed from JE to SE level. The drive will be completed in mission mode

Sharing a startling example, S. Bains said, “In Ludhiana’s Bhattian area, our team found concrete had been poured inside a sewer line from a house built nearby. That line was choked for six years, causing trouble for the entire locality. Such negligence will not be tolerated.”

Local Government Minister S. Bains said he would personally remain on the field and all officers have been ordered to do the same. “We are involving all our MLAs and MCs as well. Our aim is that this time, you will see a real difference, no water-logging, no sewage back-flow, no dengue-spreading from water stagnation,” he said.

Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, who also chairs the Cabinet Sub-Committee constituted to address the grievances of state employees, presided over a series of high-level meetings on Wednesday to expedite the resolution of legitimate demands raised by various employee unions.

Reviewing the unique grievances raised by each delegation, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said, “The Punjab Government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann remains firmly committed to the welfare of employees.”

He issued on-the-spot directions to the administrative heads of the respective departments, instructing them to thoroughly examine the genuine demands of the employees and ensure their resolution at the earliest possible time.

Emphasising the role of the Cabinet Sub-Committee, Harpal Singh Cheema said, “The Cabinet Sub-Committee is actively working to bridge gaps and create a supportive environment for employees across all state cadres.”

During these deliberations, the Finance Minister held comprehensive discussions with representatives from the Punjab State Ministerial Services Union, the Bazigar Vanjara Samaj Sangharsh Committee, the Computer Adhiypak Union, the Lal Jhanda Mid-Day Meal Workers Union, and the Water Supply and Sanitation Workers Union.

The Punjab State Ministerial Services Union presented a detailed memorandum highlighting the collective issues faced by Punjab Government employees. In addition to general employee welfare matters, the union brought forward specific concerns pertaining to the ministerial staff deployed across diverse sectors, including district administrative offices, the education department, the cooperative department, the excise department, the finance department, ITIs, the water supply and sanitation department, the soil and water conservation department, and the Commissioner’s office.

In a landmark move aimed at ending arbitrary fee hikes by private schools and providing long-awaited relief to lakhs of families across Punjab, the Bhagwant Mann Government has announced a sweeping regulatory framework that caps annual fee increases at 5%, mandates refunds of excess fees collected from parents wherever schools breached the annual limit during the last three years, and prescribes stringent penalties that can ultimately lead to cancellation of a school’s recognition.

The proposed legislation, which CM Bhagwant Singh Mann declared as the country’s toughest law against arbitrary fee hikes by private schools, will be introduced in the upcoming Assembly session and will apply to all private schools across Punjab. Significantly, the 5% ceiling will cover not only tuition fees but all mandatory charges and funds collected by schools, closing avenues that institutions have often used to burden parents with additional costs. Stating that the unchecked fee hikes were enabled by amendments introduced by the previous Congress Government in 2019, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann asserted that the new law would restore accountability in the education sector, protect parents from exploitation, and permanently end the harassment of children and families over school fees.

Taking to X, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann stated: “After the tragic incident in Amritsar, I have received hundreds of calls from parents over the past 24 hours regarding arbitrary fee hikes by private schools. Considering the future of our children and the immense distress being faced by parents, your Government has taken a very important and stringent decision.”

The Chief Minister further wrote: “No private school in Punjab will now be allowed to increase its annual fee by more than 5%. Furthermore, schools that have increased fees by more than 15% over the last three years will be required to immediately refund the excess amount collected from parents. To ensure the effective implementation of this decision, we will soon bring an Ordinance. The 5% cap will not apply only to tuition fees but will also cover all other mandatory funds and charges collected by schools.”

“This will be the strictest regulation of its kind anywhere in the country, and no school will be granted any exemption. The exploitation of parents and students in the name of education will no longer be tolerated in Punjab,” the post concluded.

Addressing a press conference, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the fee structure of private unaided schools is currently governed by the Punjab Regulation of Fee of Unaided Educational Institutions Act, 2016, which was amended in 2019. However, he noted that successive governments failed to implement the law effectively, allowing schools to impose excessive fee hikes on parents.

The Chief Minister stated, “The Punjab Government has decided to put a cap of 5% on annual fee hikes so that no school can increase fees beyond this limit. We will bring an Ordinance in this regard. Schools that have increased fees by more than 15% during the last three years will face strict action. The original 2016 Act clearly stipulated that fee hikes should not exceed 8% of the previous year’s fee, but this provision was diluted through amendments introduced by the previous government.”

The Chief Minister stated that the 2019 amendment allowed schools to increase fees beyond the prescribed limit through a disclosure mechanism, which required schools to publicly display proposed fee hikes on notice boards, school websites, and the website of the Department of School Education before admissions commenced. “Though the law mandated transparency regarding fee increases, these provisions were rarely implemented in practice. As a result, parents continued to face unjustified and excessive fee burdens,” he added.

CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said that all pending complaints related to fee hikes would now be examined and acted upon. “The Regulatory Body will keep a close watch on excessive fee hikes. It will ensure that any increase in fees is justified by actual expenditure or developmental activities and does not result in profiteering. It will also ensure that funds collected from students are not diverted for any other purpose. In cases of serious violations, schools can face penalties, withdrawal of recognition or affiliation, and orders to refund excess fees collected from students,” he said.

Describing the move as a historic intervention in the education sector, the Chief Minister said the Ordinance is aimed at ending the exploitation of students, particularly those belonging to economically weaker sections. “This legislation is intended to stop the exploitation of students and their families. No child should ever be pushed into despair because of the high-handedness of institutions demanding exorbitant fees. Punjab will have the toughest law in the country against unregulated fee hikes by private schools,” he asserted.

How the New Fee Regulation Framework Will Impact Parents, Students and Private Schools

The proposed Ordinance builds upon the Punjab Regulation of Fee of Unaided Educational Institutions Act, 2016, which governs fee structures in private unaided schools across Punjab. While the Act allows schools to determine their own fees, it explicitly prohibits profiteering and the collection of capitation fees. Under the original law, annual fee hikes could not exceed 8% of the previous year’s fee. However, amendments introduced in 2019 allowed schools to increase fees beyond this limit through a disclosure mechanism that required proposed fee hikes to be displayed on school notice boards, school websites and the website of the Department of School Education before the admission process began. According to the Punjab Government, these provisions were rarely enforced in practice, resulting in unchecked fee increases in many institutions.

Under the new framework proposed by the Punjab Government, annual fee hikes will be capped at 5%. The government has also indicated that schools which increased fees by more than 15% during the last three years may face scrutiny and action. All pending complaints relating to excessive fee hikes are expected to be examined by the authorities.

Parents already have the legal right to challenge fee hikes before a district-level Regulatory Body. Under the existing law, complaints must be scrutinised within 15 days of receipt and decided within 60 days. The Regulatory Body enjoys powers equivalent to those of a civil court while examining cases. The body is headed by the Deputy Commissioner or Additional Deputy Commissioner of the district and includes the District Education Officer (Secondary) as Member Secretary, along with two nominated members.

The law also grants significant oversight powers to the Regulatory Body. It is empowered to ensure that school fee structures remain within reasonable limits, prevent profiteering, examine excessive fee hikes, verify whether increases are justified by higher expenditure or developmental activities, and ensure that money collected from students is not diverted for purposes unrelated to education.

Schools found violating the law face a graded penalty system. For a first violation, fines can range from ₹30,000 for primary schools to ₹1 lakh for senior secondary schools. Repeat violations attract higher penalties, ranging from ₹60,000 to ₹2 lakh. In cases of a third violation, authorities may withdraw a school’s recognition or affiliation in addition to imposing financial penalties. The Regulatory Body also has the power to order the refund of excess fees collected from parents.

The Punjab Government is also examining mechanisms for financial audits of private schools. One proposal under consideration involves empanelling Chartered Accountants to review schools’ financial records from the previous three to five years, including fee collections, expenditure, salaries, infrastructure investments, reserves and related-party transactions. Such audits would help determine whether fee hikes were genuinely justified and whether collected funds were utilised for educational purposes.

The proposed Ordinance is intended to strengthen enforcement of these provisions, tighten oversight of private schools, provide greater transparency in fee fixation, and offer parents a stronger mechanism to challenge arbitrary fee increases while ensuring that educational institutions operate without profiteering.