In a bid to impart quality health services to people across the state, the Punjab Cabinet led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Friday gave nod to empanel 300 specialist doctors across 12 key specialties.

A decision to this effect was taken by the Council of Ministers in a meeting held here under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister here today.

Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that he Cabinet also gave nod to empanel 300 specialist doctors across 12 key specialties including Medicine, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Dermatology, Chest & TB, Surgery, Gynecology, Orthopedics, Ophthalmology, ENT, and Anaesthesiology across Government health facilities. This step will significantly augment specialist availability and improve the quality of secondary healthcare delivery for the people of Punjab. The empanelment of Specialists will be done at district level through Civil Surgeons and the empanelled Specialist shall be entitled to an empanelment fee per patient for various services like OPD, IPD, Emergency calls, major & Minor surgeries and procedures and others.

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The Cabinet has given concurrence to a uniform disciplinary and appellate framework under the Punjab Cooperative Societies Rules, 1963.

The Cabinet also gave its concurrence to insert Rule 28A- Uniform Disciplinary and Appellate Framework under the Punjab Cooperative Societies Rules, 1963. This will ensure removal of duplication of appellate channels and avoid conflicting decisions within the same Board or its committees and will clarify the chain of command in disciplinary proceedings and ensure that appeals are heard only once within the institution. This will also help in protecting the rights of employees by ensuring due process under a clear, uniform framework and strengthening institutional accountability by defining authority at each level besides bringing uniformity and consistency across all apex institutions and central cooperative banks functioning under the cooperative sector in Punjab.

The Cabinet has given its consent to frame the Punjab Minor Minerals Rules, 2013.

The Cabinet also gave approval to Punjab Minor Minerals Rules 2013 in accordance with the Punjab State Minor Minerals (Amendment) Policy, 2025. These new rules/ modifications were needed to be added/ substituted in the existing Punjab Minor Minerals Rules 2013 for allocation of mining rights to Mining Lease Holders of Crusher Mining Sites and Landowner Mining sites to be allotted in the state.