CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Cabinet today approved Filling up of 14 Group-A, 16 Group-B and 80 Group-C posts in the Punjab Sports Medical Cadre to strengthen sports medical support system across districts.
An official spokesman said that tt will also help in Improving injury management, recovery, and performance of sportspersons along with Promotion of scientific sports development and alignment with national standards. These professionals will be deployed in major sports districts such as Patiala, Sangrur, Bathinda, Faridkot, Fazilka, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Jalandhar, SAS Nagar, Ropar, and Hoshiarpur, where the concentration of players is higher.
In order to provide quality and affordable healthcare to employees working in factories and industrial units of Dera Bassi and nearby areas, the Cabinet also gave nod to lease around four acres of land for setting up 100 bedded ESI hospital in Dera Bassi. At present, employees in Dera Bassi and adjoining industrial zones rely on ESI facilities located in Ludhiana, Mohali, and Chandigarh, which are insufficient to meet the growing healthcare demand. This step will reduce the patient load on existing ESI hospitals and promote industrial welfare and social security in Punjab’s key industrial belt.
The Cabinet also gave its approval to create Sub-Tehsil Ludhiana (North) for improving administrative efficiency and public convenience in urban areas of District Ludhiana. It will facilitate Quicker mutation and registry processing for high-density urban villages. It will also help in Decongestion of Ludhiana (East/West) tehsils and improved citizen convenience through optimal use of existing infrastructure.
The Cabinet also gave go ahead to upgrade the existing Municipal Council, Barnala to a Municipal Corporation, enabling planned urban growth, improved civic infrastructure, and efficient governance for the rapidly expanding district headquarters city. This will help in strengthening the urban governance and infrastructure and enhancing service delivery and quality of life for residents.
The Cabinet also gave its concurrence to the Punjab Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Counselling and Rehabilitation Centres Rules, 2025, replacing the existing 2011 Rules and First Amendment Rules, 2020, to strengthen regulation of de-addiction and rehabilitation centres across Punjab. These rules overcomes the shortcomings in 2011 rules and subsequent amendments in the 2020 to regulate 36 Government and 177 licensed private de-addiction centres, along with OOAT clinics. It will help in Strengthening licensing, renewal, and inspection processes, Biometric attendance and mandatory online data reporting, Penal provisions for non-compliance or minor deficiencies, Revised infrastructure, staff, and record-keeping standards and Secure and transparent dispensing of Buprenorphine–Naloxone.