Punjab Cabinet approves 3 digital open universities, school fee curb plan

Published 5 August 2026 · politics

The Punjab Cabinet on Wednesday approved a set of measures covering higher education, school fee regulation, employment policy and GST procedures. In a key decision

The Punjab Cabinet on Wednesday approved a set of measures covering higher education, school fee regulation, employment policy and GST procedures. In a key decision, it cleared the setting up of three new Digital Open Universities in the state, according to an official statement. The Cabinet, headed by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, also approved a proposal to bring the Punjab Regulation of Fee of Un-aided Educational Institutions (Amendment) Bill, 2026, to regulate "unnecessary and unreasonable" fee increases by private unaided educational institutions. It also cleared the Punjab State Outsourced Personnel Transition to Contractual Engagement Bill, 2026, and approved changes to the Punjab Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2026. Read Full Story To attract quality educational institutions of national and international repute to Punjab, the government has prepared the Punjab Private Digital Open Universities Policy, 2026, the statement said.

Under this, the cabinet approved Cloud University at Bohan in Hoshiarpur, MS Digital University at Fatehpur and Physicswallah Digital University at Nandpur Kesho in Patiala. "The setting up of these universities is expected to bring quality education to the city and will help in the overall development of the area," the statement said. On school fees, the government said the amendment bill was needed because some unaided private educational institutions were arbitrarily and unreasonably increasing annual fees, putting an unnecessary financial burden on students and parents. "Thus, a need has been felt to amend the Punjab Regulation of Fee of Unaided Educational Institutions Act, 2016, the Punjab Regulation of Fee of Un-aided Educational Institutions Amendment Act, 2019 and the Rules framed under the Act to check unjustified fee hikes by private unaided schools," it added.

The cabinet also approved placing the Punjab State Outsourced Personnel Transition to Contractual Engagement Bill, 2026, for the transition of eligible outsourced personnel into direct contractual engagement after five years of continuous service, or three years for those deployed in the listed hazardous categories. "The remuneration of contractual appointees shall be determined by the Department of Finance and shall not be lower than the minimum rate of wages fixed under the Code on Wages, 2019, or any other law relating to minimum wages for the time being in force," the statement said. The Bill will repeal the Punjab Ad Hoc, Contractual, Daily Wage, Temporary, Work Charged and Outsourced Employees' Welfare Act, 2016, from the date of its enactment. On GST, the cabinet approved amendments aimed at promoting voluntary compliance, reducing litigation and streamlining procedures to benefit trade and industry in the state.