Chandigarh, June 11: The Punjab Cabinet has approved free bus travel for candidates appearing in the rescheduled National Eligibility cum Entrance Test undergraduate examination along with one accompanying attendant. The decision, finalized during a Council of Ministers meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Wednesday, forms part of a broader series of administrative choices focused on student convenience, employment generation, environmental infrastructure, and industrial reforms.
Candidates and their guardians will be permitted to travel without charge on Punjab Roadways, PUNBUS, and PRTC buses from June 20 to June 22 to reach examination centers located across Punjab and Chandigarh. The free transport arrangement follows the rescheduling of the entrance test to June 21, and eligible commuters can utilize the services simply by presenting the candidate’s official examination admit card.
The state administration affirmed its focus on expanded workforce deployment by clearing the recruitment of one thousand and thirteen lecturers through the Education Recruitment Directorate, alongside a one-time five-year age relaxation for applicants. The Cabinet declared that this employment expansion is intended to enhance educational delivery inside government schools while establishing fresh opportunities for qualified young professionals.
The Cabinet also sanctioned the direct recruitment of one hundred and fifty-six Junior Engineers for the Public Works Department through the Punjab Subordinate Services Selection Board. The specialized recruitment comprises one hundred and twenty-seven civil engineering posts and twenty-nine electrical engineering vacancies to strengthen institutional supervision and ensure structural quality across upcoming state infrastructure initiatives.
In line with environmental sustainability goals, the Cabinet cleared the allocation of two separate wet waste-based compressed biogas projects to HPCL Renewable and Green Energy Limited on a nomination basis. Strategically positioned at the municipal corporations of Patiala and Jalandhar, each facility will manage a capacity of one hundred tonnes per day, assisting the state in scientific processing, minimizing landfill accumulation, and reducing urban methane emissions.
The administrative body affirmed structural amendments to the Industrial and Business Development Policy, 2026, extending fiscal incentives to existing industrial operations rather than restricting them to small and medium enterprises. The updated rules include financial rewards for facilities achieving specified green certifications and reclassify maximum incentive thresholds to attract wider manufacturing investments to the state.
