Punjab Government Corrects Mistake: Non-Existent Department Assigned To Minister

In a shocking turn of events, the Punjab government revealed that it had mistakenly assigned a non-existent department to Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal nearly 20 months ago. The ‘Department of Administrative Reforms,’ which was assigned to Dhaliwal, never existed, and the minister had no office or staff to oversee during this period.

Revised Gazette Notification Confirms Department’s Abolition

After months of oversight, the Punjab government issued a revised gazette notification on February 7, 2025, officially stating that the ‘Department of Administrative Reforms’ no longer exists. Following this amendment, Kuldeep Dhaliwal has been given sole responsibility for the NRI Affairs Ministry.

Dhaliwal’s Role And Shift In Responsibilities

Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, who is the fifth minister in the Punjab Cabinet, previously held the portfolio for the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. However, following a Cabinet reshuffle in May 2023, he relinquished that responsibility and has since focused solely on the NRI Affairs Ministry.

20 Months oOf Oversight For A Non-Existent Department

Despite the fact that the “Department of Administrative Reforms” was never formally established, Dhaliwal was assigned responsibility for the department for 20 months.

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During this time, he was reportedly never provided with an office or a secretary to manage any operations of the department, as it never existed.

Efforts To Correct The Mistake Following Chief Minister’s Intervention

Sources indicate that Dhaliwal alerted Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann about the error, prompting the Chief Minister to reach out to the Governor of Punjab to rectify the situation. As a result, the Department of Administrative Reforms has been officially abolished, and Dhaliwal’s portfolio now solely includes the NRI Affairs Ministry.

The correction of this mistake follows a concerted effort to ensure the accuracy of ministerial assignments, with the Punjab government now working to streamline its administrative structure.