The Punjab Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on 30 May 2026 cleared a landmark employment reform package paving the way for the regularisation of more than 65,000 outsourced and contractual employees across government departments and abolishing the long-standing contractor based hiring system. The Cabinet approved the repeal of the Punjab Adhoc, Contractual, Daily Wage, Temporary, Work Charged and Outsourced Employees Welfare Act 2016 and cleared two new bills, the Punjab State Outsourced Personnel (Transition to Contractual Engagement) Bill 2026 and the Punjab Contractual Personnel (Absorption Against Sanctioned Vacancies) Bill 2026. Under the new framework, outsourced Group C and Group D employees who have completed five years of continuous service will move into direct government contractual employment, while workers in hazardous categories such as firefighters, sewer workers and electricity linemen become eligible after three years. After completing ten years of contractual service, employees will be considered for absorption against regular sanctioned posts. Salaries will be credited directly to bank accounts ending dependence on private contractors. The Cabinet also reconstituted a ministerial panel to address pending dearness allowance and pension dues and approved the establishment of seven exclusive special courts for the speedy trial of corruption cases. Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal hailed the decision as a landmark welfare reform.