The state of Punjab has developed at a very fast pace after independence and is referred to as the "Granary of India". It is divided into 20 districts for the convenience of administration, Amritsar, Bhatinda, Faridkot, Fatehgarh, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Mansa, Moga, Muktsar, Nawanshahr, Patiala, Ropar, Mohali, Tarntaran, Sangrur and Barnala. The Chief Minister Sardar Prakash Singh Badal heads the present Punjab Government. Whereas Gen. (Retd.) S.F Rodrigues is the ceremonial head of the state, who is the Governor of Punjab.
Punjab Government. The ministers of Punjab Government are as follows:
- Sucha Singh Langah
Minister Incharge of Department of Agriculture
- Gulzar Singh Ranike
Minister Incharge of Department Animal Husbandary, Fisheries and Dairy Development
- Dr.Upinderjit Kaur
Minister Incharge of Department of Civil Aviation
- Capt. Kanwaljit Singh
Minister Incharge of Department Cooperation
- Hira Singh Gabria
Minister Incharge of Department Cultural Affairs,Archives& museums
- Capt. Kanwaljit Singh
Minister Incharge of Department of Defence Services Welfare Minister
- Ranjit Singh Brahampura
Minister Incharge of Department Election Commission
- Manpreet Singh Badal
Minister Incharge of Department Finance
- Adesh Partap Singh Kairon
Minister Incharge of Department Food & Supplies
- Tikshan Sud
Forest and Wild Life Minister
- Smt. Lakshmi Kanta Chawla
Minister Incharge of Department Health & Family Welfare
- Hira Singh Gabria
Minister for Jails
- Manoranjan Kalia
Minister Incharge of Department of Industries and Commerce Minister
- Bikram Singh Majithia
Minister Incharge of Department. Information & Public Relation Minister
- Adesh Partap Singh Kairon
Minister Incharge of Department of Information
- Janmeja Singh
Minister Incharge of Department Irrigation
- Manoranjan Kalia
Minister Incharge of Department Local Government
- Tikshan Sud
Minister Incharge of Department Medical Education and Research Minister Incharge of Department Parliamentary Affairs
- Manpreet Singh Badal
Minister Incharge of Department Planning
- Hira Singh Gabria
Minister Incharge of Department Printing & Stationary
- Manpreet Singh Badal
Minister Incharge of Department of Programme Implementation
- Parminder Singh Dhindsa
Minister Incharge of Department Public Works
- Ajit Singh Kohar
Minister Incharge of Department Revenue & Rehabilitation
- Ranjit Singh Brahampura
Minister Incharge of Department Rural Development
- Dr.Upinderjit Kaur
Minister Incharge of Department School Education
- Swarna Ram
Minister Incharge of Department Social Security, Women and Child Development Minister
- Gulzar Singh Ranike
Minister Incharge of Department of Sports
- Swarna Ram
Minister Incharge of Department Technical Education and Industrial Training
- Hira Singh Gabria
Minister Incharge Department of Tourism
- Mohan Lal
Minister Incharge of Department Transport
- Bikram Singh Manjithia
Minister Incharge of Department Water Supply & Sanitation
- Gulzar Singh Ranike
National Parties
The Political parties of Punjab are classified into two types: National Parties and State Parties. National parties are political parties which, participate in the electoral polls all over India like Indian National Congress, Bhartiya Janata Party, Communist Party of India, Bahujan Samaj Party, Samajwadi Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist) etc. The National Parties have a strong presence on the political scenario of Punjab. State parties or regional parties take part in the various polls but only in one state. Some State parties are Shiv Sena present in Maharashtra, Telegu Desam in Andhra Pradesh, Akali Dal in Punjab, Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (DMK) in Tamil Nadu etc.
The list of National Parties in Punjab are as follows:
- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was established by Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. The president of BJP party is Shri Rajnath Singh. The party has been ruling the states of Gujarat, Jharkand, Goa, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Orissa, and Haryana.
- Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has been constituted by Kanshi Ram in 1984. BSP has made its presence in the political scenario of India, because its objective was to safegaurd the rights of Dalit people. The General Secretary of the party is Mayawati. The party holds power in the northern states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pardesh, and Madhya Pradesh.
- Communist Party of India
On December 26, 1925, Communist Party of India was formed by a handful of young patriots. It differs from the CPM on ideologies and has made a strong presence in the states of West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura.
- Communist Party of India (Marxist)
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] was established after splitting from the Communist Party of India in 1964 . The Party follows the philosophies and ideologies of Marxism-Leninism.
- Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress commonly known as the Congress Party. In India, Indian National Congress is the oldest and the largest political party. It was founded in 1885 and it played a vital role in the Indian struggle of independence. Great leaders like Gandhi, Jawahar Lal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Netaji Subash Chandra Bose, Rajiv Gandhi etc. have been associated with the party.
Political Parties
The state of Punjab is located in the northern part of India is the Granary of India. Like all other states of India, politics plays a vital role in Punjab.>
Most of the Punjab Political Parties want to establish themselves in the political scenario of the state because it is one of the most industrially flourishing states of India. There are 13 Constituencies in Punjab Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran,Jullundur, Phillaur, Hoshiarpur, Ropar, Patiala, Ludhiana, Sangrur, Bhatinda, Faridkot, and Firozepur, the Political Parties of Punjab contest from these 13 constituencies.>
The Punjab Political Parties are classified into two main types: National Political Parties and State Political Parties. The Punjab National Political Parties are the political parties which take part in electoral polls all over India. Some of the National Political Parties of Punjab are Indian National Congress, Bhartiya Janata Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Samajwadi Party, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist) etc. The Punjab State Political Parties or regional parties contest in different elections within a particular state. Few State Political parties in Punjab are Shiromani Akali Dal and Shiromani Akali Dal (Simranjit Singh Mann) . These political parties try represent the problems of Punjab and work for the enrichment of the culture and language.
Panchayats
The administration system has 3 levels: village, block and district. Panchayats operate at the village level. The Panchayats of Punjab are the local bodies working for the welfare of the village. It constitutes of members ranging from 7 to 31. However, it can have members more than 31 but not less than 7. Panchayat is a form of Indian political system which combines five neighbouring villages known as panch. The primary units of administration in Panchayats are the gram panchayats.
The members of the Panchayat are known as "panches", who take decisions regarding the disputes among the villagers and villages.According to the Indian Constitution, Panchayats have the authority to work as organizations of self-government. Panchayats play avital role in the administration of the rural areas of Punjab. Panchayats have been vested with certain powers and responsibilities:
Proper planning for economic development and social justice in the villages of Punjab
Enforcement of schemes related to economic development and social justice as mentioned in the Eleventh Schedule of the Constitution.
Collection and levy of taxes, duties, tolls and fees.
Apart from these responsibilities the Government of Punjab is also planning to strengthen facilities relating to health, education, drinking water, seewage, the telephone service, banking services and power supply through the panchayats. The income from market committees and cattle fairs are one of the sources of income of the panchayats, which has been based on the pattern of West Bengal, Kerala and Karnataka.
Boards and Commissions
Punjab is located in the northern part of India. The economy of the region is chiefly agrarian with very few industries. The economy of Punjab is one of the most developed among the states of India. The state has 194,000 small scale industrial units and 586 large and medium units. To look after the requirements of the people and the industrial units the Punjab Government has established different boards and commissions. There a number of Punjab Boards and Commissions that provide important advisory, regulatory, policy-making services to the Government of Punjab.
The various Punjab Boards are:
- Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) is engaged in strengthening the infrastructure of the Punjab.
- Punjab State Agricultural Marketing Board was formed on 26th May, 1961. The objective of the board is to ensure the proper operation and supervision of the marketing network of sale, purchase, storage and processing of various processed or non processed agricultural products.
- The Punjab State Board of Technical Education and Industrial Training (PSBTE & IT) is an independent statutory body formed under the Punjab State Board of Technical Education & Industrial Training 1992 Act. Its objective is to ensure high standard of education by controlling the academic standards in Technical Education Institutes of Punjab.
- The Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) is a statutory organization established on 01.02.1959. The electricity board has been providing service to more than 60 lacs consumers
- The Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) has been formed by the Government of Punjab. It decides the Tariff for the electricity used by the various customers under the category of wholesale, bulk, grid or retail.
- The State Information Commission, Punjab was formed on 11th October, 2005.
Municipal Administration of Punjab looks after the developmental and administrative activities of the different cities and districts of Punjab. The Municipal Administration of Punjab has been delivering its duties diligently. It supervises and administers the urban areas of the state. The various responsibilities of the Municipal Administration are as follows:
- To supply clean and safe drinking water to the people.
- To provide and maintain proper drainage and sewage systems.
- To provide public street lighting.
- To maintain the sanitation and hygiene of public toilets.
- To construct and maintain bus terminals, roads, culverts and bridges
- To look after the maintenance of public parks and gardens.
- To make sure that there is a systematic and planned growth of cities.
- To regulation of building construction
- To issue licenses for various Trades.
- To issue Birth and Death certificates.
The main sources of income of the Municipal Administration of Punjab are:
- To collect taxes on building and lands
- To levy taxes on the usage of water
- To collect fee for issuing trade licenses
- To collect license fee from builders and promoters
Punjab Government Departments
The state of Punjab has a developing economy. It has the highest average growth rate of 10% among the states of India. There are a number of Departments and Institutions in the Punjab Government. These Punjab Government Departments and Institutions look after the different sections which form an important aspect of the administration of the state. Under the leadership of Sardar Prakash Singh Badal, as the Chief Minister and by Gen. (Retd.) S.F Rodrigues, as the Governor of Punjab, the Punjab Government Departments and Institutions are working efficiently towards the service of the people and the development of the state.
The various Punjab Government Departments are as follows:
- Agriculture
- Architecture
- Culture, Archaeology & Museums
- Cane Commissioner
- Employment Department
- Food and Supplies & Consumer Affairs Department
- Removal of Grievances
- Health & Family Welfare
- Jails Department
- Labour
- Local Government
- Directorate of Pension & Welfare of Pensioners
- Planning
- Punjab Transport (Commercial Wing )
- Punjab Transport (Non Commercial wing)
- Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA)
- Punjab Home Guards
- Public Works Department (PWD) (Bridge & Roads)
- Public Works Department (PWD) (Public Health)
- Rural Development
- Sainik Welfare
- Excise & Taxation
- Social Welfare
- Social Security and Women & Child Development
- Welfare Department for SCs & BCs
- Technical Education
- Finance
- Prosecution & Litigation
- Information of Language Department
- Punjab Legal Services Authority
- Irrigation
- Town & Country Planning
- Homeopathic Department Punjab
- Higher Education
- Department of Soil & Water Conservation
- Directorate of Disinvestment, Punjab
- Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Department
- Ayurvedic Department
- Department of Information Technology
The various training and educational institutes of Punjab are as follows:- Central Institute of Post Harvest Engineering and Technology (CIPHET)
- Dr B R Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar
- Guru Nanak Dev University
- Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration, Punjab (MGSIPAP)
- National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER)
- National Institute of Secondary Steel Technology (NISST)
- Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports (NSNIS)
- Panjab University
- Punjab Agricultural University (PAU)
- Punjab State Board of Technical Education and Industrial Training
- Punjabi University
- Pushpa Gujral Science City
- Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology (SLIET)
- Technical Educational and Industrial Training Department (DTE-IT), Punjab
Last Updated on 22th January 2013
