Chandigarh, July 26 -- The Punjab cabinet on Friday approved the introduction of The Seeds (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2025, which seeks to make the sale of such seeds a non-bailable offence. The bill aims to strengthen enforcement by making violations non-bailable and cognisable offences. The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Bhagwant Mann. State finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema, flanked by agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian, briefed reporters. Cheema said the proposed bill introduces Section 19A to penalise violations of Section 7 of the Seeds Act, which regulates the sale of notified seed varieties. Under the amended provisions, companies found guilty for the first time will face imprisonment of one to two years and fines between Rs.5 lakh to Rs.10 lakh. Repeat violations could lead to two to three years in jail and fines of Rs.10 lakh to Rs.50 lakh. Similar misdeed by a dealer/person will invite a punishment of six months to one year and fine of Rs.1 lakh to Rs.5 lakh for the first offence and a term of 1 to 2 years and fine of Rs.5 lakh to Rs.10 lakh for repeated offence, the statement said. Earlier, the fine was Rs.500 for first offence and Rs.1,000 and prison term of up to six months for repeated offence The cabinet has also approved amendments to the Punjab State (Group D) Service Rules, 1963, raising the upper age limit for recruitment from 35 to 37 years, bringing it in line with Group A, B, and C services. The revised age criteria will now be 18 to 37 years. Additionally, the minimum educational qualification for Group D posts has been upgraded from 'middle' to 'matriculation'. Another decision of the state cabinet was to give concurrence for evolving a mechanism to provide land parcels (on sale or lease basis) for promoting industrial/business investment in the state. The mechanism includes features such as a bi-annual digital land pool, investor facilitation for proposals above Rs.200 crore, feasibility checks, reserve price fixation, e-auction process, lease options, and defined timelines. The cabinet also approved a One-Time Settlement (OTS) Scheme for clearing outstanding loans under interest-free loans, seed margin money schemes, the Punjab State Aid to Industries Act, 1935, and the Integrated Rural Development Program (IRDP). Under this scheme, complete waiver of principal and interest will be granted for loans under IRDP and Punjab State Aid to Industries Act, 1935 (PSAIA), with eligible units required to settle dues within 180 days of notice publication. Additionally, the cabinet gave ex-post facto approval to extend the timeline for inviting bids in the re-tender for the purchase of 46,000 LDPE black polythene covers for RMS 2025-26. Amendments were also approved to the Punjab VAT Rules, 2005, entitling VAT Tribunal members to HRA and DA at par with Punjab officers. The cabinet also gave nod to the "The Punjab Food grains Transportation Policy 2025" and "The Punjab Labour & Cartage Policy, 2025" for the smooth and hassle-free transportation of food grains in the state. As per the policy, food grain transportation works will be allotted through a competitive and transparent online tender system. The cabinet also gave approval to revise Punjab District Mineral Foundation (DMF) rules as per revised guidelines from the Centre. These revisions will ensure transparency in implementation of projects, powers, duties and responsibilities. The cabinet also granted its consent for amendments in the advisory managing committee of Kali Devi/Raj Rajeshwari Temples, Patiala, thereby authorising the chief minister to nominate the chairman and members of the advisory managing committee. In order to provide better health facilities to livestock owners, the cabinet gave nod to extend the services of 479 veterinary pharmacists and 472 safai sewaks working in 582 veterinary hospitals across the state as service providers from April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026....