Taking another significant step towards providing citizen services by achieving a historic and exemplary record of the lowest pendency rate across the country, the Punjab government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, is set to further expand its citizen service infrastructure by opening 54 new service centers. This initiative will increase the total number of service centers across the state to 598. This announcement was made by the Minister of Governance Reforms and Information Technology (GG&IT), Mr. Aman Arora.
The announcement was made during a comprehensive review meeting on citizen service delivery and service center operations, chaired by the Minister at MAGSIPA. Senior officials of the department were present at the meeting, and all Deputy Commissioners participated via video conferencing. Additional Chief Secretary Mr. D.K. Tiwari and Director (GG&IT) Mr. Vishesh Sarangal were also present.
The meeting focused on the exemplary performance of the existing 544 service centers across Punjab, including 263 urban and 281 rural centers. These self-reliant centers are providing 465 government-to-citizen (G2C) and 7 business-to-citizen (B2C) services. Discussions included pendency rates, service-wise performance, objections raised by officials, and the online field verification process.
Notably, it was also revealed that there has been a decline in the number of "send back" cases, indicating a reduction in unnecessary objections.
Reiterating the government's commitment to zero pendency, Mr. Aman Arora directed the Deputy Commissioners to ensure that all services are delivered within the stipulated time frame.
He emphasized that the best-performing districts in the application process will be rewarded, and officers achieving zero pendency will also be felicitated. The IT Minister also appreciated the district administration's efforts to involve 100 percent of field verification authorities, including Patwaris, Sarpanches, Numberdars, and Municipal Councillors, for online verification through e-seva, m-seva, and WhatsApp. He informed that approximately 4 lakh applications have been received for online verification, of which 96.3 percent have been processed.
Mr. Aman Arora issued clear instructions that all construction activities for the new service centers should be completed by January 15, 2026.
It is noteworthy that the Punjab government has also launched the 'Government at Your Doorstep' program and the Citizen Service Delivery Portal (connect.punjab.gov.in) to enhance customer experience, efficiency, and ease of access.