Minister Served as for a Non-existent Department for 20 Months

An interesting incident has recently come to light in the state. As we know, the AAP government is currently in power in the state. In this context, one of the AAP ministers had been serving for 20 months in charge of a department that did not even exist. This came to light after the Punjab government released a Gazette notification to correct the matter.

Three years ago, the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government came to power in Punjab. In 2023, a cabinet reshuffle was carried out, during which Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, a senior AAP leader, was assigned two departments: SR Affairs and the Department of Administrative Reforms. When another reshuffle took place in September 2024, these same departments were continued under his charge. However, it was later discovered that the Department of Administrative Reforms did not actually exist, and the government made the necessary changes.

The Gazette notification released on Friday revealed this issue, which has now become a hot topic. Local political leaders are discussing it, calling it a bizarre situation. The BJP has strongly criticized the matter, accusing the AAP of turning governance in Punjab into a "joke." They are questioning how a minister could have been in charge of a non-existent department for 20 months. BJP leaders are also pointing out that it is concerning that the Chief Minister was unaware of this, suggesting that this situation reflects the state of governance in Punjab.