Caste based socio-economic survey will be conducted for the first time in Punjab, CM Bhagwant Singh says.

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann today presented a comprehensive four-year report card of the Rural Development and Panchayats Department, showcasing how sustained policy interventions have transformed village infrastructure, strengthened grassroots governance and increased employment opportunities in rural areas.

Rural development described as the central pillar of overall development

Describing rural development as the central pillar of overall development, the Chief Minister outlined key initiatives including the launch of Punjab’s first caste-based socio-economic survey, large-scale infrastructure creation, generating revenue through transparent land management and youth-centric development programmes.

Caste based socio-economic survey started

Describing the caste-based socio-economic survey starting from April 1 as important in ensuring equality and policy making, the Chief Minister said that its objective is to evaluate the living standards of all communities while keeping the action confidential. He said the Rural Development Report Card is part of a broader governance framework under which the AAP government is focusing on accountability, transparency and results along with sector-wise performance in education, healthcare, irrigation, agriculture and other key sectors.

villages were fully developed

Presenting the report card of the Rural Development and Panchayat Department, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “There has been complete development of villages in the last four years, which includes large-scale construction work, cleaning of ponds as the state has earned money by removing illegal encroachments from government lands and through other means.”

Increase in consensus in Panchayat elections

The Chief Minister said, “Due to the strict efforts of the state, unanimity in panchayat elections has increased. Elections for 13,236 panchayats in Punjab were held in 2024, in which a large number of panchayats were elected unanimously. In 2018, about 1,870 panchayats were elected unanimously, but in 2024, 2,970 panchayats were elected unanimously.” Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “More than 1,100 panchayats were unanimously elected, thereby strengthening community harmony in the villages and ensuring all-round development of the villages.”

Sarpanch’s honorarium increased

He said, “Punjab government has increased the honorarium of Sarpanches from Rs 1,200 to Rs 2,000 per month.” Budget expenditure increased on rural development. Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “Under the 15th Finance Commission for Rural Development, Rs 2,367.64 crore was spent on rural development in the year 2025-26, which is double as compared to 2024-25. “During the year 2017-22, Rs 1,883 crore was spent on the development of villages, while the state government has spent Rs 3,847 crore in the last four years for this noble cause.”

Expenditures on various development works

“Rs 1,030.94 crore was spent on panchayat buildings, libraries, Anganwadi centres, play grounds, streets, drains and other development works,” the Chief Minister said. Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “Rs 1,336.70 crore was spent on drinking water, sanitation, solid waste management and other essential services and these funds were released through district councils, panchayat samitis and panchayats.”

Increase in revenue from Shamlat land

He further said, “The Punjab government has increased the income by leasing Shamlat lands in villages. Illegal encroachments have been removed from Panchayat lands, due to which the state’s revenue has increased. In four years, the state government has earned Rs 1,842.78 crore by leasing Shamlat lands.”

Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “In the year 2025-26, the revenue has increased by Rs 50.75 crore compared to the previous year. About 1.35 lakh acres of land was given on lease, which brought a revenue of Rs 520.54 crore, while in 2024-25 it was Rs 469.79 crore.”

Development of rural playgrounds

Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “To give a positive direction to the immense energy of the youth, about 3,000 rural sports grounds are being developed and Rs 1,166 crore is being spent on it. These grounds will be spread over an area of 6,500 acres, for which 3,148 sites have been identified.” Will go, which will have facilities like volleyball court, football field, children’s play equipment and seating arrangements.

construction of panchayat houses

He said, “For the first time in the history of the state, panchayat houses have been constructed. In the second phase, 500 modern panchayat houses are being built with a budget of Rs 125 crore.” Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “Rs 25 lakh per building has been allocated and 373 buildings have already been completed in the first phase.”

Construction of libraries in villages

Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “The Punjab government has also started the process of creating 251 libraries in villages, of which 231 have already been completed. The aim is to connect the people of the villages with literature and help the youth prepare for competitive examinations.”

Increased expenditure and employment in MNREGA scheme

Talking about the MNREGA scheme, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “Only Rs 4,708 crore was spent from 2017-2022, while Rs 5,146 crore has been spent since 2022. 8.96 lakh people have got employment and 2.40 crore daily wages have been created.”The Chief Minister said, “About 63,357 new jobs have been created in 2025-26. “Job cards were issued, of which 2,480 were for persons with disabilities.”

Opposition to Central Government’s MNREGA amendments

Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “Punjab strongly opposes the irrational amendments in the MNREGA scheme. The Punjab Assembly had opposed the changes made by the Central Government, which may reduce rural employment. Such restriction-based amendments are unjustified as these amendments seriously question the very purpose of such schemes.”

Progress in rural housing scheme

Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “The Punjab government has taken exemplary initiatives to provide residential facilities to rural families. This year, approval was given for 76 thousand houses, which included 30 thousand flood-affected families.”

Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “Only 39 thousand houses were built in the state from 2016-2022, whereas this year the state government has set a target of building one lakh houses for the poor section of the society.”

Cleaning of village ponds

He said, “Punjab government has launched a big scheme to clean the ponds of 17,080 villages. Water has been extracted from 13,414 ponds and desilting work of 4,706 ponds has been completed, for which Rs 235 crore is being spent.”

Budget of Rs 250 crore on caste based survey

Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “For the first time in the history of Punjab, a caste-based socio-economic survey is being conducted. Its objective is to evaluate the living standards of all castes and sub-castes so that policies can be made for their welfare. A budget of Rs 250 crore has been kept for this purpose, in which 28,000 enumerators will be deployed and each will get Rs 62,500 as honorarium.”

Contribution of villages in anti-drug campaign

He said, “All the villages of the state have extended their support in the war against drugs. I heartily thank the Panchayats and volunteers for actively joining the anti-drug efforts as already 1.25 lakh members have joined the campaign.”

Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “12 thousand village defense committees have been formed and volunteers are working as ‘village guardians’. Many drug smugglers are arrested on the basis of reports from these committees.”

Promotion of women entrepreneurs and self-help groups

“Under the Punjab State Rural Livelihood Mission, 100 leading women entrepreneurs from 23 districts were honored with certificates and mementos. They were also given Rs 25,000 per person,” the Chief Minister stressed.

He said, “11,700 women have been honored in 117 assembly constituencies and 2,300 women have been honored in district level programs. Under the mission, 58,303 self-help groups have been formed and 5.89 lakh families have been connected, who have been provided financial assistance of Rs 147 crore.”

New scheme to connect women with dairy farming

The Chief Minister said, “As part of the women empowerment initiative, a new scheme has been launched to connect women with dairy farming. Under this scheme, 1,100 milk cooperative societies have been registered and interest-free loans worth Rs 18 crore have been given to women.”

Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “These committees are supplying one lakh liters of milk daily to MILKFED. Sakhi Shakti Melas were organized across Punjab, in which more than 1,500 women participated and products worth Rs 9 crore prepared by them were sold.”

Administrative reforms and cadre system

He said, “For the first time, blocks have been reorganized according to assembly constituencies to improve coordination. Rural development officers and Panchayat secretaries have been included in the state cadre. To improve work efficiency, a provincial cadre has been created for 3,327 Panchayat Development Secretaries in the state.”

Accusations on the central government

Responding to a question, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “The central government is treating Punjab like a stepmother. RDF, GST, NHM and other grants have been stopped by the Centre. The only reason for this is that BJP does not get votes in Punjab, due to which the central government is doing injustice to Punjab.”

The Chief Minister said, “The disaster management fund allocated by the Center is very less and needs to be amended in the larger interest of the public. The state will strongly oppose this discrimination and no stone will be left unturned to get the state’s due share. This issue will be raised at every platform, both legal and administrative.”

question on congress

Responding to another question, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “It is surprising that Punjab Congress leaders are keeping silence on the imposition of entry tax by their party-led Himachal government, whereas this issue concerns a large section of Punjabis.” Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “On one hand the state government is abolishing toll tax and providing relief to the common man, while on the other hand the neighboring states are imposing unnecessary taxes on the people.”

Wheat procurement and other issues

Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “The state government is committed to smooth and hassle-free procurement and lifting of wheat crop and elaborate arrangements have already been made for the same. Blackmailing tactics being adopted to jeopardize the smooth procurement will not be tolerated and exemplary action will be taken against such forces.”

claim of good government

Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “For the first time in the history of Punjab, a good government is working, whereas the earlier governments were limited to looting the people.” He said, “Punjab government is exploring the possibility of grounding the high tension wires passing through the lands of the farmers and a strategy is being made. This will be a relief for the farmers as these wires pose a huge threat to the crops.” On this occasion, Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Tarunpreet Singh Saund and Others were also present.