The Punjab Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, on Wednesday approved free bus travel for all candidates appearing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) on June 21. The free travel facility will be available a day before and after the examination as well.
Free Travel for Candidates and Attendants
Under this initiative, each candidate can bring one attendant who can also travel for free on PUNBUS, PRTC, and Punjab Roadways buses. This means a total of 56,000 individuals, including 28,000 aspirants, can use public transport without any charge between June 20 and 22.
Transport and Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), stating, "The NEET aspirants have been left in the lurch by the BJP, which continues to play with their future. Ever since the BJP assumed the reins of the country, there have been 29 paper leaks."
Other Cabinet Decisions
Filling of Junior Engineer Posts
The cabinet gave its nod to fill 156 posts of Junior Engineers in both Civil and Electrical wings of the Public Works Department.
Age Relaxation for Lecturer Posts
The council of ministers approved a five-year age relaxation for the recruitment of 1,013 posts of lecturers in the Education Department. These lecturers are to be recruited for 12 subjects.
Desilting of Rivers
With the monsoon season approaching, the cabinet approved the allotment of tenders for desilting of rivers even if only a single bidder applies. "This is being done to expedite the desilting work before the onset of monsoon," said Cheema.
Biogas Projects and Industrial Policy
The cabinet also approved the establishment of wet waste-based compressed biogas projects in Patiala and Jalandhar, each with a capacity of 100 TGPD. Additionally, amendments to the Industrial and Business Development Policy, 2026, were made to extend fiscal incentives to all existing industrial units, not just Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
Policy to Protect Investors
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced that the Punjab Government would formulate a policy to address issues faced by citizens who invested in unauthorized colonies. He highlighted that thousands of innocent buyers suffered because developers sold plots in unauthorized colonies, leaving people with legal and infrastructural problems.
"Thousands of innocent families invested their life savings to buy property. Later, they discovered that they could neither sell the land nor get registries done. They were also deprived of basic facilities such as electricity, water, and drain network. Such investors deserve justice," CM Mann said.
"Fraudulent colonisers lured people with attractive brochures and false promises. They sold plots, pocketed the profits, and walked away, leaving ordinary citizens to deal with the consequences. At the time of sale, they concealed the fact that electricity meters, roads, and sewerage could not be sanctioned in these colonies," he added.
