India, June 22 -- The Punjab cabinet on Saturday decided to appoint the chief secretary as the chairman of all local development boards in the state, effectively transferring this responsibility from the chief minister, who traditionally held this role.

The cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of chief minister Bhagwant Mann, amended Section 29(3) of the Punjab Regional and Town Planning and Development (PRTPD) Act. The amendment empowers the chief secretary to lead the state's development authorities, a move modelled after urban planning bodies such as Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA), NOIDA, Meerut, Kanpur, and Lucknow.

This decision follows the cabinet's approval two weeks ago for the acquisition or "land-pooling" of...