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Government of Punjab, India

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Government of Punjab
This is the Seal of Government of Punjab.
Emblem of Punjab
Seat of GovernmentChandigarh
Legislative branch
Assembly
SpeakerKultar Singh Sandhwan[1]
Deputy SpeakerJai Krishan Singh
Members in Assembly117
Executive branch
GovernorGulab Chand Kataria
Chief MinisterBhagwant Mann
Chief SecretaryK. A. P. Sinha, IAS[2]
Judiciary
High CourtPunjab & Haryana High Court
Chief JusticeSheel Nagu

The Government of Punjab or locally as the State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Punjab, India and its 23 districts. It consists of an executive, led by the Governor of Punjab, a judiciary and a legislative branch Punjab State.

Like other states in India, the head of state of Punjab is the Punjab Governor, appointed by the President of India on the advice of the Central government. The post of governor is largely ceremonial. The Chief Minister of Punjab is the head of government and is vested with most of the executive powers. Chandigarh is the capital of Punjab, and houses the Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly) and the secretariat. Chandigarh also serves as the capital of Haryana, and is a union territory of India. The Punjab & Haryana High Court, located in Chandigarh, has jurisdiction over the whole state.[3]

The present Legislative Assembly of Punjab is unicameral, consisting of 117 Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA). Its term is 5 years, unless sooner dissolved.[4]

Cabinet Ministers

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Minister of State

[edit]
PortfolioMinisterTook officeLeft officePartyRef
  • Chief Minister
  • Civil Aviation
  • Cooperation
  • General Administration
  • Home Affairs & Justice
  • Legal & Legislative Affairs
  • Personnel and Training
  • Sports and Youth Services
  • Science Technology & Environment
  • Vigilance
  • Other departments not allocated to any Minister
16 March 2022 (2022-03-16)Incumbent AAP[5]
  • Economic & Statistical Organisation
  • Excise & Taxation
  • Finance
  • Planning
  • Programme Implementation
21 March 2022 (2022-03-21)Incumbent AAP[6]
  • Employment Generation and Training
  • Governance Reforms and Public Grievances
  • New and Renewable Energy Sources
  • Printing & Stationery
5 July 2022 (2022-07-05)Incumbent AAP[7]
  • Social Justice, Empowerment & Minorities
  • Social Security and Development of Women and Children
21 March 2022 (2022-03-21)Incumbent AAP
  • Elections
  • Health and Family Welfare
  • Medical Education and Research
7 January 2023 (2023-01-07)Incumbent AAP
  • Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs
  • Forest and Wild Life Preservation
21 March 2022 (2022-03-21)Incumbent AAP
  • Jails
  • Transport
21 March 2022 (2022-03-21)Incumbent AAP
  • Higher Education and Languages
  • Information & Public Relations
  • School Education
  • Technical Education & Industrial Training
21 March 2022 (2022-03-21)Incumbent AAP
  • Power
  • Public Works
21 March 2022 (2022-03-21)Incumbent AAP
  • Agriculture and Farmer Welfare
  • Animal Husbandry, Fisheries & Dairy Development
  • Food Processing
31 May 2023 (2023-05-31)Incumbent AAP
  • Defence Services Welfare
  • Freedom Fighters
  • Horticulture
23 September 2024 (2024-09-23)Incumbent AAP
  • Hospitality
  • Labour
  • Rural Development & Panchayats
  • Tourism & Culture Affairs
23 September 2024 (2024-09-23)Incumbent AAP
  • Local Government
  • Parliamentary Affairs
23 September 2024 (2024-09-23)Incumbent AAP
  • Conservation of Soil and Water
  • Mines & Geology
  • Water Resources
23 September 2024 (2024-09-23)Incumbent AAP
  • Housing and Urban Development
  • Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management
  • Water Supply & Sanitation
23 September 2024 (2024-09-23)Incumbent AAP
  • Investment Promotion
  • Industries & Commerce
  • NRI Affairs
3 July 2025 (2025-07-03)Incumbent AAP

By departments

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An alphabetical list of all the departments of Punjab Government with terms :[8]

PortfolioMinisterTook officeLeft office
Agriculture and Farmer Welfare16 March 20225 July 2022
5 July 202231 May 2023
31 May 2023Incumbent
Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries21 March 20225 July 2022
5 July 202231 May 2023
31 May 2023Incumbent
Civil Aviation16 March 2022Incumbent
Conservation of Soil & Water16 March 20225 July 2022
5 July 202231 May 2023
31 May 202321 November 2023
21 November 202323 September 2024
23 September 2024Incumbent
Cooperation21 March 20225 July 2022
5 July 2022Incumbent
Defence Services Welfare16 March 20225 July 2022
5 July 20227 January 2023
7 January 202323 September 2024
23 September 2024Incumbent
Economic & Statistical Organisation16 March 2022Incumbent
Elections16 March 20225 July 2022
5 July 20227 January 2023
7 January 2023Incumbent
Employment Generation and Training16 March 202216 March 2023
16 March 2023Incumbent
Excise and Taxation21 March 2022Incumbent
Finance21 March 2022Incumbent
Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs21 March 2022Incumbent
Food Processing16 March 20225 July 2022
5 July 20227 January 2023
7 January 202316 March 2023
16 March 202331 May 2023
31 May 2023Incumbent
Forest and Wild Life Preservation21 March 2022Incumbent
General Administration16 March 2022Incumbent
Governance Reforms and Public Grievances16 March 20225 July 2022
5 July 202216 March 2023
16 March 2023Incumbent
Health & Family Welfare21 March 202224 May 2022
24 May 20225 July 2022
5 July 20227 January 2023
7 January 2023Incumbent
Higher Education and Languages21 March 20227 January 2023
7 January 2023Incumbent
Home Affairs and Justice16 March 2022Incumbent
Horticulture16 March 20225 July 2022
5 July 20227 January 2023
7 January 202323 September 2024
23 September 2024Incumbent
Hospitality21 March 20225 July 2022
5 July 20227 January 2023
7 January 202323 September 2024
23 September 2024Incumbent
Housing and Urban Development16 March 20225 July 2022
5 July 202216 March 2023
16 March 202323 September 2024
23 September 2024Incumbent
Industries and Commerce16 March 202223 September 2024
23 September 20243 July 2025
3 July 2025Incumbent
Information and Public Relation16 March 20225 July 2022
5 July 202216 March 2023
16 March 202323 September 2024
23 September 2024Incumbent
Information Technology16 March 2022Incumbent
Investment Promotion16 March 20225 July 2022
5 July 202223 September 2024
23 September 2024Incumbent
Jails21 March 20227 January 2023
7 January 202323 September 2024
23 September 2024Incumbent
Labour16 March 20225 July 2022
5 July 202223 September 2024
23 September 2024Incumbent
Legal and Legislative Affairs21 March 20225 July 2022
5 July 2022Incumbent
Local Government16 March 20225 July 2022
5 July 202231 May 2023
31 May 202323 September 2024
23 September 2024Incumbent
Mines & Geology21 March 20227 January 2023
7 January 202321 November 2023
21 November 202323 September 2024
23 September 2024Incumbent
Medical Education and Research21 March 202224 May 2022
24 May 20225 July 2022
5 July 20227 January 2023
7 January 2023Incumbent
New & Renewable Energy Sources16 March 20225 July 2022
5 July 2022Incumbent
NRI Affairs21 March 20223 July 2025
3 July 2025Incumbent
Parliamentary Affairs16 March 20225 July 2022
5 July 202231 May 2023
31 May 202323 September 2024
23 September 2024Incumbent
Personnel and Training16 March 2022Incumbent
Planning21 March 2022Incumbent
Power21 March 2022Incumbent
Printing and Stationery16 March 20225 July 2022
5 July 202213 January 2023
13 January 2023Incumbent
Program Implementation21 March 2022Incumbent
Public Works21 March 2022Incumbent
Punjab Energy Development Agency16 March 2022Incumbent
Removal of Grievances21 March 20225 July 2022
5 July 202216 March 2023
16 March 2023Incumbent
Revenue, Rehabilitation & Disaster Management21 March 202223 September 2024
23 September 2024Incumbent
Rural Development and Panchayat21 March 202231 May 2023
31 May 202323 September 2024
23 September 2024Incumbent
School Education21 March 20225 July 2022
5 July 2022Incumbent
Science, Technology & Environment16 March 20225 July 2022
5 July 202221 November 2023
21 November 2023Incumbent
Social Justice, Empowerment and Minorities21 March 2022Incumbent
Social Security and Development of Women and Children21 March 2022Incumbent
Sports and Youth Services21 March 202225 June 2024
25 June 2024Incumbent
Technical Education and Industrial Training16 March 20227 January 2023
7 January 2023Incumbent
Tourism and Cultural Affairs21 March 20225 July 2022
5 July 202223 September 2024
23 September 2024Incumbent
Transport21 March 2022Incumbent
Vigilance16 March 2022Incumbent
Water Resources21 March 20225 July 2022
5 July 20227 January 2023
7 January 202321 November 2023
21 November 202323 September 2024
23 September 2024Incumbent
Water Supply and Sanitation21 March 202223 September 2024
23 September 2024Incumbent
Welfare of Freedom Fighters16 March 20225 July 2022
5 July 20227 January 2023
7 January 202323 September 2024
23 September 2024Incumbent

History

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In April 1952, the Punjab State Legislature consisted was bicameral, divided into a Vidhan Sabha (lower house) and Vidhan Parishad (upper house). In 1956, the Vidhan Parishad was expanded from forty to forty-six seats, further being expanded to fifty-one seats in 1957. After Punjab underwent trifurcation in 1966, its Vidhan Parishad was reduced to forty seats while its Vidhan Sabha was increased to 104 seats. On 1 January 1970, the state's legislature became unicameral with the abolishment of the Vidhan Parishad. The present legislature consists of 117 members whom are elected from 117 single-seat constituencies. The term for every legislative assembly in Punjab is five years unless the legislature dissolved earlier.[9]

Legislative branch

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The legislature comprises the governor and the Punjab Legislative Assembly, which is the highest political organ in the state. The governor has the power to summon the assembly or to close the same. All members of the legislative assembly are directly elected, normally once in every five years by the eligible voters who are above 18 years of age. The current assembly consists of 117 elected members. The elected members select one of its own members as its chairperson who is called the speaker of the assembly. The speaker is assisted by the deputy speaker who is also elected by the members. The conduct of a meeting in the house is the responsibility of the speaker.

The main function of the assembly is to pass laws and rules. Every bill passed by the house has to be finally approved by the governor before it becomes applicable.

The normal term of the legislative assembly is five years from the date appointed for its first meeting.[10] In the Sixteenth Punjab Legislative Assembly, 94 members of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party form the treasury benches. The main opposition party in the assembly is Indian National Congress with 14 seats. The other parties which are in opposition are the Shiromani Akali Dal, the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and independents. AAP MLA, Kultar Singh Sandhwan was announced as the speaker of the assembly.[11]

Incumbent Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann took the oath of office on 16 March at Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of Bhagat Singh. Inderbir Singh Nijjar took the oath as pro tem Speaker. On 17 March Nijjar administered the oath of office to all the 117 legislators of the Sixteenth Punjab Legislative assembly.[12] Other 10 cabinet ministers of the Mann ministry, took oath on 19 March.

On 22 June 2022, Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan announced that the legislators will get answers on all issues that they raise during the Assembly debates. The answers would be provided during the Zero Hour. This was done for the first time in the history of Punjab Assembly.[13]

Leaders

[edit]
Title Name Portrait Since
Constitutional Posts
Governor Gulab Chand Kataria 30 July 2024


Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan[14] 21 March 2022
Deputy speaker Jai Krishan Singh[15] 30 June 2022
Leader of the House
(Chief Minister)		 Bhagwant Mann 16 March 2022
Leader of Opposition Pratap Singh Bajwa 9 April 2022
Political posts
Leader of AAP legislature party Bhagwant Mann 16 March 2022
Leader of INC legislature party Pratap Singh Bajwa 9 April 2022
Leader of SAD legislature party Manpreet Singh Ayali April 2022
Leader of BJP legislature party Ashwani Kumar Sharma April 2022
Leader of BSP legislature party Nachhatar Pal April 2022

Judiciary

[edit]

Punjab and Haryana High Court is the common High Court for the Indian states of Punjab and Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh based in Chandigarh, India. Sanctioned strength of judges of this High Court is 85, consisting of 64 Permanent Judges, including the Chief Justice, and 21 Additional Judges. As of 14 September 2023, there are 58 Judges working in the High Court, comprising 36 Permanent and 22 Additional Judges.[16]

The court building is known as the Palace of Justice. Designed by Le Corbusier, it and several of his other works were inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in July 2016.[17][18]

Departments and Agencies

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List of State Public Sector Undertakings

[edit]

1. Punjab State Power Corporation Limited

Divisional administration

[edit]
Republic of India
States and Union Territories
(e.g. Punjab State)
Division
(e.g. Jalandhar division)
District
(e.g. Gurdaspur district)
Sub-district
(e.g. Dera Baba Nanak tehsil)
Sub-sub-district
(e.g. sub-tehsil, community development block, etc.)
Local governing systems
(e.g. revenue village, panchayat, municipal corporation), etc.

The state of Punjab has the following civil administrative set-up regarding subdivisional levels of governance:[19][20][21][22][23][24]

  1. Divisions (5) - headed by a Divisional Commissioner
  2. Districts (23) - headed by a Deputy Commissioner or District Magistrate
  3. Sub-district level
    • Sub-divisions (93) - headed by a Sub Divisional Magistrate
    • Tehsils (93) - headed by a Tehsildar
    • Sub-tehsils (87) - headed by a Naib Tehsildar
    • Development blocks (150) - headed by a block development and panchayat officer (BDPO), an executive officer of Block Samiti, and chairman of the blocksamiti
  4. Settlements, comprising of villages (12,581), towns, and cities, managed by panchayats (Panchayat samiti and Gram panchayat), improvement trusts, municipal corporations, etc.

Districts are officially divided among five administrative divisions: Faridkot, Ferozepur, Jalandhar, Patiala, and Ropar.[19][20] There are currently twenty-three districts in Punjab.[25] Each district is under the administrative control of a Deputy Commissioner (DC), an IAS officer.[26] The DC functions as the Collector for land revenue administration and as the District Magistrate (DM) for maintaining law and order in the district. The DC is assisted by Additional Deputy Commissioners (ADCs) at collectorate.[citation needed] The district magistrate or the deputy commissioner are also assisted by officers of the Punjab Civil Service and other state services. Policing for each district is the responsibility of a Senior Superintendent of Police who belongs to the Indian Police Service. Furthermore, each district has a division forest officer who is appointed from the Indian Forest Service to manage forests, wildlife, and the environment of the district, being assisted by officers belonging to the Punjab Forest Service and other environment-related officials. Also at the district level are district heads of the respective branch of the Public Works Department, Agriculture, Health, Education, and Animal Husbandry departments. These departments consist of officers who belong to various state services. The districts are subdivided into subdivisions and tehsils, headed by Sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs, selected from the State Civil Services/Punjab Civil Services) and Tehsildars (a revenue officer). As per Sunita Kaler, Punjab is a state in which there is little or no difference between tehsils and sub-divisions as they share the same boundaries as one another, unlike some other Indian states where these two terms refer to distinct administrative schemes. In India, the tehsil and talukas are important for land records and land revenue.[26] The districts are subdivided into 93 tehsils, which have fiscal and administrative powers over settlements within their borders, including maintenance of local land records comes under the administrative control of a Tehsildar. Each Tehsil consists of blocks which are total 150 in number. Each block comprises of a block development and panchayat office (BDPO Office/BDO) and Block Samiti, headed by a block development and panchayat officer (BDPO) and executive officer of Block Samiti. Elected politically is a chairman of the blocksamiti.[26] These blocks consist of Revenue Villages. There are total number of revenue villages in the state is 12,278.

There are 23 Zila Parishads, 136 Municipal Committees and 22 Improvement Trusts looking after 143 towns and 14 cities of Punjab. The local government institutions such as Panchayats looking after the governance of rural areas and municipalities looking after the governance of urban areas.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Brar, Kamaldeep Singh (27 March 2022). "Punjab speaker seeks pardon at Akal Takht after video of priest touching a cow's tail to his turban goes viral". The Indian Express. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  2. ↑ https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/kap-sinha-appointed-new-punjab-chief-secy-101728495470173-amp.html. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ↑ "Jurisdiction and Seats of Indian High Courts". Eastern Book Company. Retrieved 12 May 2008.
  4. ↑ "Punjab Legislative Assembly". Legislative Bodies in India. National Informatics Centre, Government of India. Retrieved 12 May 2008.
  5. ↑ "Punjab portfolios announced; CM Mann keeps Home and Vigilance, Cheema gets Finance, Singla Health, Harbhajan Power". Tribuneindia News Service. 21 March 2022. Archived from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  6. ↑ "GOVERNOR ALLOTS PORTFOLIOS TO NEWLY INDUCTED MINISTERS | Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Punjab, India ਸੂਚਨਾ ਤੇ ਲੋਕ ਸੰਪਰਕ ਵਿਭਾਗ ਪੰਜਾਬ ,ਭਾਰਤ". diprpunjab.gov.in. Archived from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  7. ↑ "Punjab Cabinet expansion: Anmol Gagan gets tourism; Indervir Nijjar local bodies, Chetan Singh health". Tribune India News Service. 5 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  8. ↑ "Departments – Government of Punjab, India". Archived from the original on 11 December 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  9. ↑ Kaler, Sunita (June 2016). "Administrative Structure of Punjab" (PDF). Advances in Social Research. 2 (1): 60 – via renupublishers.com.
  10. ↑ "Kerala Government – Legislature". Kerala Niyamasabha. Archived from the original on 8 December 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  11. ↑ "Punjab Cabinet swearing-in Live Updates: From uprooting corruption to tackling drug addiction in Punjab — newly-inducted Ministers set targets". The Indian Express. 19 March 2022. Archived from the original on 19 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  12. ↑ "In Punjab Cabinet, Bhagwant Mann Keeps Home, Harpal Cheema Gets Finance". NDTV.com. 21 March 2022. Archived from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  13. ↑ Service, Tribune News (22 June 2022). "All Zero Hour questions to be answered: Punjab Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  14. ↑ "AAP nominates party MLA Kultar Singh Sandhwan as next Punjab assembly speaker". Hindustan Times. 18 March 2022. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  15. ↑ "Jai Krishan Singh Rouri is new Deputy Speaker of Punjab assembly". The Indian Express. 30 June 2022. Archived from the original on 30 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  16. ↑ "High Court of Punjab and Haryana". www.highcourtchd.gov.in. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  17. ↑ "The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  18. ↑ "Chandigarh's Capitol Complex is now a UNESCO heritage site". 18 July 2016. Archived from the original on 19 July 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  19. 1 2 Kaler, Sunita (June 2016). "Administrative Structure of Punjab" (PDF). Advances in Social Research. 2 (1): 59–62 – via renupublishers.com.
  20. 1 2 "Divisions of Punjab". Punjab Data. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
  21. ↑ "How Many District in Punjab". Punjab Data. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
  22. ↑ "How Many Tehsils in Punjab". Punjab Data. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
  23. ↑ Singh, Ramandeep; Jain, Shivangi; Kaur, Harsimran (7 September 2023). Singh, Jaspal (ed.). Rejuvenating Punjab: New Economic World Order. Virsa Publications. p. 247. ISBN 9788195904952. The State of Punjab is located in North India with an area of around 50362 Sq. Km. Chandigarh (Capital & U.T.), Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala, Mohali, Bathinda are among the major cities of Punjab. The state is ranked 2nd best in terms of rail (42km per 1000sq. km.) and road (133 per sq.km.) connectivity in the country. Punjab has 5 divisions, 23 districts, 150 blocks and 12581 villages.
  24. ↑ "ABOUT THE REVENUE DEPARTMENT". Land Records Society, Department of Revenue, Government of Punjab. Retrieved 16 July 2026. The Department of Revenue, Rehabilitation & Disaster Management is headed by the Financial Commissioner Revenue, who is also Additional Chief Secretary to Government of Punjab in respect of Revenue Department. The State of Punjab is divided into five divisions namely; Jalandhar, Patiala, Roopnagar, Ferozepur and Faridkot and each division is headed by the Divisional Commissioner. Divisions are divided into Districts, which are headed by the Deputy Commissioners, who also exercises the powers of Collector and Registrar under Indian Registration and Stamp Acts. Districts are divided into Sub-Divisions, Tehsils and Sub-Tehsils. Sub Divisions are headed by Sub Divisional Magistrates, Tehsils are headed by Tehsildars and Sub-Tehsils are headed by Naib Tehsildars. There are 23 districts, 93 Sub-Divisions, 93 Tehsils and 87 Sub-Tehsils in the State of Punjab.
  25. ↑ "Districts - Punjab". Integrated Government Online Directory. National Informatics Centre, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
  26. 1 2 3 Kaler, Sunita (June 2016). "Administrative Structure of Punjab" (PDF). Advances in Social Research. 2 (1): 59–62 – via renupublishers.com.
[edit]
  • Official government web portal
  • "Punjab". Integrated Government Online Directory. National Informatics Centre, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
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