In a significant move aimed at administrative and economic reforms, the Punjab Legislative Assembly convened for a one-day special session on Tuesday and gave its nod to three pivotal bills. This legislative push is designed to tackle long-standing issues in revenue courts, empower property owners in rural inhabited areas, and streamline financial transactions to foster a better business climate in the state.
Expediting Revenue Justice and Embracing Digitisation
The House passed The Punjab Land Revenue (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which targets the persistent problem of delays within the revenue adjudication system governed by the century-old Punjab Land Revenue Act, 1887. The amendments seek to fast-track the disposal of a massive backlog of cases pending before various revenue authorities.
The key objectives are to reduce unnecessary delays, save valuable time for litigants, and curb harassment often caused by the frequent summoning of individuals not directly involved in a case. In a forward-looking step, the bill also grants full legal recognition to digital records and digital signatures, paving the way for a more citizen-friendly and efficient digitised record-keeping system.
However, the bill did not pass without scrutiny. Independent MLA Rana Inder Partap Singh voiced strong objections, highlighting what he termed as flaws in the proposed legislation. He urged the assembly to first form an expert committee and consider its recommendations before implementing these changes.
Boosting Property Rights with 'Mera Ghar Mere Naam'
The second piece of legislation, The Punjab Abadi Deh (Record of Rights Amendment) Bill, 2025, is directly linked to accelerating the central government's SVAMITVA Scheme, known locally as the 'Mera Ghar Mere Naam' scheme. This initiative is crucial for conferring clear ownership rights to residents in Abadi Deh (inhabited village) areas, providing them with legal titles to their properties.
To remove bottlenecks, the bill proposes to shorten the statutory time limits for filing objections and for deciding appeals under the existing 2021 Act. This procedural tightening is expected to ensure the timely and effective rollout of the property rights scheme across the entire state of Punjab.
Simplifying Stamp Duty to Fuel Economic Growth
The third bill, The Indian Stamp (Punjab Second Amendment) Bill, 2025, aims to rationalise the stamp duty levied on key financial instruments. It specifically amends Entry 6 of Schedule 1-A of the Indian Stamp Act, 1899, dealing with documents related to the deposit of title deeds, hypothecation, and equitable mortgage.
Currently, complex loan transactions could attract multiple stamp duties. The amendment proposes a single, capped stamp duty on the total loan amount, thereby eliminating any duplication of duty on the same transaction. This reform is squarely aimed at enhancing the 'ease of doing business' in Punjab by simplifying compliance, reducing transaction costs for businesses, and facilitating smoother access to credit.
The move is seen as particularly beneficial for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), supporting broader industrial development and economic growth. While the rationalisation may lead to a reduction in annual stamp duty receipts from such instruments, the bill's explanatory note clarifies that it entails no recurring or non-recurring expenditure from the state's Consolidated Fund, implying no direct financial burden on the government.
The passage of these three bills marks a concerted effort by the Punjab government to address procedural hurdles in governance, secure property rights for citizens, and create a more attractive ecosystem for business and investment in the state.
