{"id":10692,"date":"2026-06-10T15:03:37","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T15:03:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/?p=10692"},"modified":"2026-06-10T15:03:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T15:03:45","slug":"punjab-cabinet-approves-key-welfare-employment-and-industrial-reforms-free-travel-for-neet-candidates-among-major-decisions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/?p=10692","title":{"rendered":"Punjab Cabinet Approves Key Welfare, Employment and Industrial Reforms; Free Travel for NEET Candidates Among Major Decisions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Punjab Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, on Tuesday approved a series of significant policy decisions aimed at supporting students, creating employment opportunities, strengthening public infrastructure, promoting renewable energy, improving governance, and enhancing the state’s investment climate.

The decisions were taken during a Cabinet meeting chaired by the Chief Minister and include free bus travel for candidates appearing in the re-conducted National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG), recruitment of more than 1,000 lecturers and 156 Junior Engineers, establishment of compressed biogas (CBG) projects in Patiala and Jalandhar, amendments to civil service rules, and revisions to the state’s Industrial and Business Development Policy-2026.

According to the Chief Minister’s Office, the measures reflect the government’s continued focus on student welfare, education, employment generation, sustainable development, administrative reforms, and economic growth.

## Free Bus Travel for NEET Candidates and Attendants

In a major relief for students, the Cabinet approved free travel for candidates appearing in the re-scheduled NEET-UG examination, along with one attendant accompanying each candidate.

The NEET examination conducted on May 3, 2026, was cancelled and has now been rescheduled for June 21, 2026.

To facilitate candidates, Punjab Roadways, PUNBUS, and PRTC buses will provide free transportation to examination centres located across Punjab and Chandigarh on June 20, 21 and 22. Students will only be required to present their admit cards to avail themselves of the facility, while no fare will be charged from either the candidate or the accompanying attendant.

The financial burden of the initiative will be borne by the Transport Department and subsequently reimbursed by the Finance Department. The government stated that the decision reflects its commitment to supporting students and ensuring affordable access to education-related services.

## Recruitment of 1,013 Lecturers Approved

The Cabinet also approved the filling of 1,013 sanctioned vacancies in the Lecturer Cadre (Group-B), including both backlog and newly created posts, through the Directorate of Education Recruitment.

To widen opportunities for aspiring candidates, the government has granted a one-time relaxation of five years in the upper age limit for applicants seeking recruitment to lecturer posts under the School Education Department.

Officials said the move is expected to strengthen teaching capacity in government schools while creating substantial employment opportunities for qualified youth.

## Green Signal for 156 Junior Engineers in Public Works Department

Another significant decision was the approval for recruitment of 156 Junior Engineers in the Public Works Department.

The vacancies include 127 posts of Junior Engineer (Civil) and 29 posts of Junior Engineer (Electrical). These positions will be filled through direct recruitment by the Punjab Subordinate Services Selection Board (PSSSB).

The government believes the recruitment will improve project planning, execution, monitoring and quality control of infrastructure works across the state.

## Wet Waste-Based Biogas Projects Approved for Patiala and Jalandhar

In an effort to strengthen sustainable waste management and renewable energy production, the Cabinet approved the establishment of two compressed biogas (CBG) plants based on wet municipal waste in Patiala and Jalandhar.

Each facility will have a processing capacity of 100 tonnes per day and will be developed through nomination in favour of HPCL Renewable and Green Energy Limited (HPRGE).

Punjab’s 166 urban local bodies collectively generate nearly 4,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste every day. The proposed projects aim to scientifically process wet waste, reduce landfill accumulation, improve urban sanitation and public health, generate renewable energy and organic manure, reduce methane emissions, and contribute to economic growth through resource recovery.

## Amendment to Civil Services Rules to Address Seniority Disputes

The Cabinet also approved amendments to Rule 8 of the Punjab Civil Services (General and Common Conditions of Service) Rules, 1994.

The amendment seeks to address situations where candidates possess identical educational qualifications and share the same date of birth, making determination of inter-se seniority difficult.

Under the revised provision, seniority in such cases will be determined on the basis of merit, taking into account the final grading or percentage marks obtained in the minimum educational qualification prescribed for the respective post.

## Industrial Policy Amendments to Boost Investment

In a move aimed at strengthening Punjab’s industrial ecosystem, the Cabinet approved several amendments to the Industrial and Business Development Policy-2026 and various sectoral policies under the Punjab Udyog Kranti initiative.

The amendments expand the applicability of financial incentives from existing Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to a broader category of existing industrial units. The revised provisions also place greater emphasis on industrial clusters, research and development facilities, and environmentally sustainable technologies.

The Cabinet further approved modifications to incentive provisions under the Zero Defect Zero Effect (ZED) certification programme. Industries obtaining at least Gold Level ZED certification will now be eligible for a one-time incentive of \u20b910 lakh, subject to eligibility criteria and within the first 50 qualifying units.

Additionally, provisions relating to overall incentive ceilings under sectoral policies have been clarified as indicative and non-statutory in nature.

The Punjab government believes these reforms will encourage fresh investments, accelerate industrial growth, strengthen innovation and sustainability, and further position the state as one of India’s most attractive destinations for business and manufacturing investments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Punjab Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, on Tuesday approved a series of significant policy decisions aimed at supporting students, creating employment opportunities, strengthening public infrastructure, promoting renewable energy, improving governance, and enhancing the state’s investment climate. The decisions were taken during a Cabinet meeting chaired by the Chief Minister and include […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10691,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[24,22],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-10692","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politics","8":"category-punjab-2"},"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/img_20260610_2032487485895307519554573.jpg",312,252,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/img_20260610_2032487485895307519554573-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/img_20260610_2032487485895307519554573-300x242.jpg",300,242,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/img_20260610_2032487485895307519554573.jpg",312,252,false],"large":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/img_20260610_2032487485895307519554573.jpg",312,252,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/img_20260610_2032487485895307519554573.jpg",312,252,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/img_20260610_2032487485895307519554573.jpg",312,252,false],"td_150x0":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/img_20260610_2032487485895307519554573-150x121.jpg",150,121,true],"td_218x150":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/img_20260610_2032487485895307519554573-218x150.jpg",218,150,true],"td_300x0":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/img_20260610_2032487485895307519554573-300x242.jpg",300,242,true],"td_324x400":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/img_20260610_2032487485895307519554573.jpg",312,252,false],"td_485x360":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/img_20260610_2032487485895307519554573.jpg",312,252,false],"td_696x0":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/img_20260610_2032487485895307519554573.jpg",312,252,false],"td_1068x0":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/img_20260610_2032487485895307519554573.jpg",312,252,false],"td_1920x0":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/img_20260610_2032487485895307519554573.jpg",312,252,false],"td_265x198":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/img_20260610_2032487485895307519554573-265x198.jpg",265,198,true],"td_741x486":["https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/img_20260610_2032487485895307519554573.jpg",312,252,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Praveen Soni","author_link":"https:\/\/jeevaypunjab.com\/?author=2"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The Punjab Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, on Tuesday approved a series of significant policy decisions aimed at supporting students, creating employment opportunities, strengthening public infrastructure, promoting renewable energy, improving governance, and enhancing the state’s investment climate. 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