The Punjab government has taken a historic decision to protect religious sentiments and maintain social peace. In the cabinet meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, ‘Crime Prevention Bill-2025’ was approved against Punjab Holy texts. The purpose of this bill is to strictly stop the increasing incidents of increasing disrespect in the state. A spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that in the past, the incidents of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Bhagavad Gita, Quran Sharif, Bible and other sacred texts had hurt the religious sentiments of the people deeply and created an atmosphere of tension in the society.

Weakness and new needs of existing laws

Let us tell you that till now there was no clear and effective law to prevent such crimes in India. However, there are sections of the Indian Code like 298,299 and 300, but they are not considered capable of dealing with such incidents. Such a punishment was neither enough nor did it create fear in the minds of criminals. For this reason, such serious crimes often escaped from legal punishment. To remove this legal weakness and protect the dignity of holy texts, the government of Bhagwant Mann has decided to bring this new bill.

Provision of strict punishment in law

According to ‘Punjab Holy texts crime prevention Bill-2025’, if a person disrespects the holy book of any religion, he can be punished from 10 years to life imprisonment. Not only this, if a person tries this crime or provokes someone to do so, then they will also be punished. Those who try can be jailed for three to five years, while those who provoke will be punished according to the seriousness of the crime. In this way, this law will not only punish the crime, but will also take its plan or provocation seriously.

Equal protection of all religions

The most important thing about this law is that it is not limited to any one religion or book. It includes the sacred texts of all major religions – such as Sri Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagavad Gita, Quran Sharif, Bible etc. This will ensure that all religious communities in the state get equal protection and hurting the religious sentiments of any religion should be considered a serious crime.

Social harmony and brotherhood will get strength

The government believes that with the implementation of this law, communal harmony, peace and brotherhood will be strengthened in Punjab. When criminals will know that strict punishment can be found on the disgrace of religious texts, then such incidents will automatically decrease. This law will prove to be helpful in controlling anti -social and anti -national forces, which deliberately try to create unrest in the state by inciting religious sentiments.

Government’s eye on mining industry too

In this meeting of the cabinet, the second major decision was taken for the management of mineral properties. ‘Punjab Regulation of Crusher Units, Stockists and Retailers Rules-2025’ has also been approved. The main objective of this rule is to compel the crusher units and traders associated with construction materials to work under a fixed structure, so that illegal mining, sand-ignorant theft, and activities that damage the environment can be stopped.

Target of transparency and accountability

Under the new rules, a detailed process of making the business of mining and construction material transparent and accountable has been fixed. In this, the responsibilities of the officers, the deadlines, the required form, and the methods of compliance are clearly defined. Its purpose is to eliminate ambiguity in functioning so that it is easy for the state government to ensure that mining activities are being done completely in a legal and environmentally friendly manner. This decision is expected to bring discipline and transparency in the mining industry across the state.

Two strong initiatives towards law and order

Through these two decisions, the Punjab government has taken two strong initiatives towards strengthening law and order and ensuring permanent peace in the society. On the one hand, the safety of religious sentiments has been given priority, on the other hand, the state’s mineral wealth and environmental protection have also been focused. These laws and rules will prove to be helpful in building a better, safe and strong society in Punjab in the coming times.