The Punjab Cabinet has approved a new law to stop the sale of fake or low-quality seeds. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting held on Friday, chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
The new law, called The Seeds Bill 2025, will make the sale of spurious seeds a non-bailable and cognizable offence. This means that anyone caught selling fake seeds can be arrested without a warrant and may not get bail easily.
The Punjab government said that this move is necessary to protect farmers and ensure that they get access to only high-quality seeds for their crops. The earlier version of the law, the Seeds Act of 1966, had very low fines and no strict punishment, which made it easy for seed sellers to break the law without fear.
The new law will insert a new section, 19A, into the Seeds Act. This will increase the punishment for breaking the rules under Section 7 of the original law.
Here are the new penalties under the Bill:
For companies:
First-time offenders will face 1 to 2 years in jail and a fine of ₹5 to ₹10 lakh.
If they repeat the offence, the punishment will be 2 to 3 years in jail and a fine of ₹10 to ₹50 lakh.
For individual dealers or persons:
First offence: 6 months to 1 year in jail and a fine of ₹1 to ₹5 lakh.
Repeated offence: 1 to 2 years in jail and a fine of ₹5 to ₹10 lakh.
This is a major change compared to the old law, which had a fine of just ₹500 for the first offence and ₹1,000 and jail time of up to six months for repeated offences. The new Bill shows that the state government is serious about protecting farmers from fraud and poor-quality seeds.
Apart from the Seeds Bill, the Punjab Cabinet also took several other important decisions:
Industrial investment land mechanism:
The government approved a plan to make it easier for industries to get land for setting up businesses in Punjab.
A digital land pool will be updated twice a year.
Special support will be given to investors investing more than ₹200 crore.
The process will include feasibility checks, setting reserve prices, online auctions, and a lease option.
Group D job age limit increased:
The Cabinet also decided to increase the upper age limit for Group ‘D’ government job applicants from 35 years to 37 years. This will give more people a chance to apply, especially those who missed out earlier due to age restrictions.
Loan settlement scheme:
A one-time settlement scheme was approved to help small industries and rural development beneficiaries who took loans under:
Interest-free loan schemes
Seed margin money
Punjab State Aid to Industries Act, 1935
Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP)
Under this scheme, the entire loan amount (principal and interest) will be waived off for eligible people.
They will need to apply within 180 days of the scheme being announced in newspapers to get this benefit.
Foodgrains transportation policies:
The Cabinet also approved two new policies:
The Punjab Foodgrains Transportation Policy 2025
The Punjab Labour and Cartage Policy 2025
These policies aim to streamline the transport of foodgrains from procurement centres or mandis across Punjab. The work of transporting foodgrains will now be allotted through a transparent and competitive online tender system during the 2025 season.
The foodgrains are procured by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and various state agencies from designated centres across the state.
With these decisions, the Punjab government is aiming to protect farmers, attract industrial investments, create jobs, and support small businesses. The approval of the Seeds Bill 2025, in particular, shows a strong intent to crack down on seed fraud and improve trust in the agricultural system.
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