Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who is currently receiving treatment in a Mohali hospital for a bacterial infection, chaired a Cabinet meeting through videoconferencing on Monday. At this meeting, the government approved several key measures, the most significant being relief for farmers whose fields were buried under silt following the recent floods.
According to officials, farmland in more than 2,000 villages has been covered with layers of slit. A spokesperson explained, “Therefore, in a major reprieve to farmers, it has been decided that they will be allowed to remove silt from their fields and sell it if they wish to. They will be allowed to remove silt from their land without any permit by December 31.” The government clarified that this one-time action would not be treated as mineral mining and that district administrations will prepare the list of villages where clearance is permitted.
The initiative, known as Jehda Khet, Ohdi Ret, is designed to help cultivators regain some financial ground after crops spread across 4.3 lakh acres were submerged. Farmers will now have until the end of December to clear their land.
After the Cabinet meeting, Mann also announced that families of those who died in the disaster would receive Rs 4 lakh each. Farmers will not have to pay instalments or interest on loans from cooperative or agricultural development banks for the next six months, and dairy farmers will be compensated for cattle lost in the floods.
Decisions Beyond Flood Relief
Apart from farmer support, the Cabinet also considered several other matters. Sanction for prosecution of former minister Bikram Singh Majithia under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, was approved, in line with advice from the Advocate General. The proposal will now be forwarded to the Governor for the final order.
Changes were also passed to the Punjab Town Improvement Act, 1922, enabling local bodies to use the Municipal Development Fund for infrastructure projects. The Custom Milling Policy for the 2025–26 Kharif season, beginning September 16, was approved, with paddy procurement to finish by November 30 next year.
The state will amend its mineral policies to streamline mine allocation and boost revenue, while also creating the Punjab State Mineral Exploration Trust to oversee exploration and resource planning.
The Cabinet further cleared the creation of more than 1,000 new posts in the School Education Department, confirmed regularisation of SSA non-teaching staff, and introduced Punjab Community Service Guidelines, 2025, to unify court practices on community service sentences across Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.
To strengthen law enforcement, the government approved 1,600 new posts in the district police cadre, focusing on drug-related cases and organised crime. Pay protection will also be ensured for rural medical officers moving into the Department of Health and Family Welfare.
Political Gesture From Haryana
Adding to the day’s developments, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini visited Mohali to enquire about Mann’s health. The two leaders spoke for about twenty minutes. Officials in Haryana said, “… the two leaders had a discussion on several important issues.” They also noted, “He also asked the CM about the flood situation in Punjab and assured him of all possible help.”
