Overview
- Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann handed appointment letters to 516 daily-wage Forest Department workers on Monday, July 13, 2026, formalising their service after years of temporary employment.
- The state restored long-pending promotions for 237 Forest Department officers and staff, a move the government says will correct pay and seniority gaps that had lowered morale.
- Under the May 2023 regularisation policy cited by the government, regularised employees will serve until age 58 and receive a defined salary scale with 5 percent annual increments.
- The state cabinet approved special relaxations for workers who lacked the formal age or educational qualifications because many had completed more than ten years of service, and the government framed the change as ending the contractor system in favour of direct employment.
- Officials also announced plans to revive dilapidated forest rest houses to boost departmental revenue and pointed to wider recruitment figures the government cites to show its track record on giving jobs and stabilising field staff.