Chandigarh: The Punjab Cabinet on Saturday approved the formation of Departmental Service Rules for the newly created separate cadre of employees to be posted in Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB).An official spokesperson said the decision was aimed at safeguarding Punjab’s rightful representation in the BBMB and creating new employment opportunities for the youth.“Under the provisions of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, the Bhakra Beas Management Board was constituted as a legal entity to regulate projects relating to the Bhakra and Beas dams in Punjab. The partner states, including Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan, send their officers and employees on deputation to various posts in the Board,” said the spokesperson.However, despite having a fixed quota for different posts, Punjab’s share of positions in BBMB has frequently remained vacant, allowing employees from other states to be posted against these vacancies, he added.Punjab contributes 40% of the Board’s finances, irrespective of the number of employees posted against its allocated share. This situation has necessitated the creation of a separate cadre to ensure adequate representation of Punjab’s employees in the Board.During the Cabinet meeting held on Nov 15, 2025, approval was granted for creating a special cadre comprising 2,452 posts for BBMB. The recruitment rules and other conditions of service for appointments against these posts have already been framed.
