'Punjab govt clamping down on corruption, 357 being investigated'
Chandigarh, April 4 -- Reiterating his government's anti-corruption stance, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday said investigations were underway against 357 individuals, including 112 gazetted officers, 162 government employees and 83 private individuals.
Mann said the state government followed a zero-tolerance policy on corruption, adding that an Anti-Corruption Action Line launched in March 2022 had received 12,218 complaints in four years.
He stated that 10,820 of these complaints were sent to departments and 1,398 to the vigilance bureau. "A total of 275 FIRs have been registered and 341 accused have been arrested, including 16 gazetted officers, 161 government employees, 88 police personnel and 77 civilians," he told reporters at a press conference here. Cabinet minister Aman Arora was also present.
He said the vigilance bureau conducted 487 raids and registered 534 cases against 1,215 accused. "So far, 143 cases have resulted in convictions and several officials have been dismissed from service," he said.
Speaking on land reforms, Mann said the easy registry system had eliminated corruption in tehsil offices, with over 6 lakh documents registered since July 2025. "The middlemen system has been removed and registration can now be done online with a single click," he added.
Referring to a meeting of Punjab arhtiyas (commission agents) with Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini at his residence on Thursday, Mann said they were welcome to conduct business in Haryana, but their issues can only be resolved by the Centre.
The CM said he had raised their genuine demands multiple times before the Government of India, but no action had been taken. "The state government is fully committed to ensuring hassle-free wheat procurement with all arrangements already in place," he added....
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