Punjab Assembly Session: Bajwa Questions Eight Bills, Jobs for Outsiders and Unfulfilled Promises

The final day of the Punjab Assembly’s Monsoon Session witnessed heated exchanges both inside and outside the House, with the Congress opposition staging a protest against the state government over several issues. Led by Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, Congress legislators protested outside the Assembly against the introduction of eight Bills in a single day, the appointment of candidates from other states to government jobs and the alleged failure of the government to fulfil promises related to the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) and other issues. During the Zero Hour, Bajwa also urged the Speaker to extend the Assembly session by another two days. He argued that it would be difficult to properly debate nine Bills within the limited time available. Health Minister Responds to Haryana Candidates Issue Bajwa raised the issue of candidates from neighbouring states being recruited as Multi-Purpose Health Workers in Punjab. He alleged that workers from Haryana associated with the Aam Aadmi Party had been given jobs in the state. Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh, however, clarified that only 13 of the 237 candidates recruited as Multi-Purpose Health Workers were from Haryana. The minister also provided details of the Chief Minister Health Insurance Scheme. He said 51.30 lakh families out of the state’s 65 lakh families had been registered under the scheme, benefiting around 1.25 crore people. So far, 5.30 lakh people have received cashless treatment, while treatment worth Rs 1,009.35 crore has been approved. According to the minister, 657 of Punjab’s 880 hospitals have been brought under the scheme, while 92 additional hospitals have also been empanelled. 785 Librarian Posts Vacant in Government Schools Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said Punjab’s government schools have a total of 1,860 librarian posts. Of these, 1,075 posts are filled, while 785 remain vacant. He said the recruitment process for the vacant posts is underway. Bains also said action was being taken on a proposal to upgrade Government Primary School Nimbuan in the Derabassi block to the middle-school level. He said the population in the area was growing rapidly and schools having sufficient land would be considered for upgradation. Rice Delivery Deadline Extended to September 30 Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak said that during the 2025-26 Kharif season, a total of 105 lakh metric tonnes of rice has to be delivered to the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for the central pool. As of August 7, 85.79 lakh metric tonnes, or 81.21 per cent, had been delivered. He said the delay was mainly due to a shortage of storage space with the FCI. As a result, the Government of India extended the deadline for milling and delivery of rice from June 30, 2026, to September 30, 2026. Rs 26.51 Crore Project for Lasara Drain Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal said a Rs 26.51 crore project had been prepared for the Lasara Drain to address flood-related problems in the Bathinda area. Replying to a question from Bathinda Rural MLA Amit Rattan Kotfatta, Goyal said the villages of Pathrala and Doomwali were vulnerable to flooding. He said the Lasara drain was constructed in 1963-64 for the drainage of floodwater, but the drainage route was blocked by the Haryana government in 1977. He said cross-bunds had been constructed on the drain downstream of Doomwali village near the Punjab-Haryana border. Since the slope of the catchment area is towards Haryana, the obstruction to water drainage increases the risk of flooding in the region and causes problems in several villages. Goyal said the Punjab government had raised the issue with Haryana several times but had not received its cooperation. The proposed Rs 26.51 crore project includes internal cleaning of the Lasara Drain and raising and strengthening its embankments. Rs 1.20 Lakh for Construction of New Houses Under Housing Scheme Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Tarunpreet Singh Saund said there was no provision for house repairs under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. However, Rs 1.20 lakh would be provided for the construction of new houses. Saund also said that 37,835 workers were registered under the Punjab Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board in Faridkot district. Financial assistance amounting to Rs 5.62 crore had been distributed to them under various welfare schemes. Barnala to Get 64.50 Km of New Sewerage Lines Local Government Minister Harjot Singh Bains said work was underway to lay 64.50 kilometres of new sewerage lines in Barnala city at a cost of Rs 69.64 crore. The project is scheduled to be completed by December 2027. Bains said the project would also be reviewed because of the increase in the city’s population. He further said the Jagraon Municipal Council was carrying out 46 works covering 11.76 kilometres of streets and roads under the MDF scheme and another 35 works covering 8.10 kilometres using SC funds. Some of these works are expected to be completed in August and others in September. Bains said strict action would be taken if any contractor or official was found responsible for negligence affecting development works. No Immediate Proposal for Punjabi Language Centre in Khadur Sahib Higher Education and Languages Minister Harjot Singh Bains said there was currently no proposal to establish a regional office of the Language Department, a Gurmukhi script research centre or any other special institution related to the Punjabi language in Khadur Sahib. Replying to MLA Manjinder Singh Lalpura, Bains said that if the MLA submitted a written proposal, the government could consider getting such an initiative started through Guru Nanak Dev University or Punjabi University. Lalpura Seeks Censor Board for Punjab MLA Manjinder Singh Lalpura demanded during the Zero Hour that Punjab should establish its own censor board on the lines of other states. He alleged that Punjabi films face discrimination and cuts by the censor board. He also urged the government to consider giving Punjabi films prime-time slots in the state. Demand for Equal Representation of States in Rajya Sabha MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali said the delimitation Bill expected in Parliament would lead to an increase in the number of seats. He demanded that a new amendment Bill be introduced in Parliament to provide equal representation to all states in the Rajya Sabha. Issue of Shiromani Sahitya Awards Raised MLA Labh Singh Ugoke raised the issue of the Shiromani Sahitya Awards given by the Language Department. He said the awards had not been presented for several years because of a court case. Ugoke said several writers had passed away while waiting for the prestigious awards. Demand for New Transport Policy Derabassi MLA Kuljit Singh Randhawa demanded that the Punjab government formulate a new transport policy. He raised the issue during the sixth day of the Assembly’s Monsoon Session. Congress Questions 65,000 Jobs During their protest outside the Assembly, Congress legislators led by Bajwa also raised questions over the government’s claim regarding 65,000 jobs. Bajwa alleged that 70 per cent of the jobs had been given to people from other states and demanded that the state government issue a white paper on the matter. Referring to the 13 Haryana candidates in the Health Department recruitment, he again questioned the appointment of candidates from outside Punjab. Bajwa also alleged that the government had failed to fulfil major promises, including those related to the Old Pension Scheme and Dearness Allowance. The developments highlighted sharp differences between the government and the opposition on the final day of the Monsoon Session, with the Congress pressing for more time to debate legislation and raising questions over recruitment, government promises and policy decisions.