In a fresh push to strengthen public service delivery, the Punjab government has announced a major expansion of its citizen service network. Led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the state has earned national recognition for recording the lowest pendency rate in the country and is now preparing to take this momentum further by setting up 54 additional service centers. With this expansion, the total number of centers across Punjab will rise to 598. The decision was shared by Governance Reforms and Information Technology Minister Aman Arora.
The announcement came during an in-depth review meeting on citizen service delivery and the functioning of service centers, held at MAGSIPA and chaired by the minister. Senior department officials attended the session, while all Deputy Commissioners joined through video conferencing. Additional Chief Secretary D K Tiwari and GG and IT Director Vishesh Sarangal were also present for the discussions.
During the meeting, officials reviewed the strong performance of the existing 544 service centers operating across Punjab, which include 263 urban and 281 rural facilities. These centers function on a self-sustaining model and currently offer 465 government to citizen services along with seven business to citizen services. The review covered service-wise performance, pending cases, objections raised during processing, and the progress of online field verification.
One encouraging trend highlighted in the meeting was a noticeable drop in the number of cases being sent back for corrections, reflecting fewer unnecessary objections and smoother processing overall.
Reaffirming the government’s goal of eliminating delays, Aman Arora instructed Deputy Commissioners to ensure that every service is delivered strictly within the prescribed timelines. He added that districts performing exceptionally well would be recognised, and officers who achieve zero pendency would be formally honoured.
The minister also praised district administrations for ensuring complete participation of field verification authorities such as Patwaris, Sarpanches, Numberdars, and Municipal Councillors in the online verification process through platforms like e Seva, m Seva, and WhatsApp. He noted that nearly four lakh applications have been received for online verification so far, with an impressive 96.3 percent already processed.
Clear directions were issued to complete all construction work for the newly approved service centers by January 15, 2026, ensuring that the expanded infrastructure becomes operational on schedule.
In parallel, the Punjab government continues to strengthen citizen engagement through initiatives such as the Government at Your Doorstep programme and the Citizen Service Delivery Portal connect.punjab.gov.in. Together, these measures aim to improve accessibility, efficiency, and the overall experience of citizens seeking government services across the state.
