India, Feb. 22 -- Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann explained on Saturday that his government created the Administrative Reforms department to implement reforms and defended the controversial circular as part of an administrative process.

Mann's clarification comes amid accusations from the BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) that minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal was unaware that he was heading a "non-existent" Administrative Reforms department for nearly 21 months.

The controversy erupted over a Punjab government notification issued on Friday. "In partial modification of Punjab Government Notification No. 21/1/2022-2 Cabinet/2230 dated 23.09.24, regarding allocation of portfolios among ministers, the department of Administrative Reforms...