Punjab Min Dhaliwal held 'non-existent' dept for 21 months
For nearly 21 months, Punjab Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal held a non-existent Administrative Reforms portfolio. A government notification has now removed the portfolio, leaving him with only the NRI Affairs department. The opposition has criticised the AAP government, terming the incident a sign of "administrative bankruptcy" and poor governance.
News Arena Network - Chandigarh - UPDATED: February 22, 2025, 02:26 PM - 2 min read
Punjab Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal. File photo.
In an unusual bureaucratic oversight, Punjab Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal has been relieved of the Administrative Reforms portfolio after nearly 21 months, as it was discovered that the department 'did not exist'.
The revelation came through a government notification, which stated that Dhaliwal now retains 'only' the 'NRI Affairs portfolio'.
The official Punjab government notification stating that the Administrative Reforms department allocated to Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal does not exis
According to sources, the Administrative Reforms department never had any staff assigned to it, nor were any meetings held under its purview, raising questions about governance under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s administration.
A government notification issued on Friday read: "In partial modification of Punjab Government Notification No. 21/1/2022-2 Cabinet/2230 dated 23.09.24, regarding allocation of portfolios among ministers, the department of Administrative Reforms earlier allocated to Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Cabinet Minister, is not in existence as on date."
The notification further stated that, on the advice of the Chief Minister, the Governor had approved the amendment, effective from 2 February 2025.
Dhaliwal was originally assigned the Administrative Reforms portfolio in May 2023, following a cabinet reshuffle in which he was relieved of the Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare department but retained NRI Affairs.
The Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare portfolio was subsequently allocated to Gurmeet Singh Khuddian.
Opposition criticism
The opposition parties have seized on the revelation to attack the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, accusing it of mismanagement and a lack of seriousness in governance.
Punjab BJP General Secretary Subhash Sharma remarked, "It shows the government's mental bankruptcy that a department which does not exist was allocated. Neither those who allotted it nor those who received it were aware of this fact."
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal also criticised the state government, stating, "Governance @AAPPunjab style. Allocate non-existent departments to ministers who themselves are ignorant of the portfolios they hold. All this is happening because ministers have no role in governance as the government is being run with remote control from Delhi."
Governance @AAPPunjab style. Allocate non existent departments to ministers who themselves are ignorant of the portfolios they hold. All this is happening because ministers have no role in governance as the govt is being run in remote control from Delhi. pic.twitter.com/LNGyYfwGZX
Punjab Congress chief and Ludhiana MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring echoed the sentiment, posting a newspaper clipping on social media with the caption, "What a 'Badlaav'!"
The episode has raised concerns about transparency and administrative efficiency in the Punjab government.
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