Private school parents in Punjab may soon get relief from runaway fee hikes — and thousands of outsourced government workers could finally see their employment terms formalised — after the Punjab Cabinet cleared a sweeping package of policy decisions on Thursday, 6 August 2026, meeting at the Punjab Vidhan Sabha under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

The fee regulation bill: what it targets

At the centre of the Cabinet's agenda was the Punjab Regulation of Fee of Un-aided Educational Institutions (Amendment) Bill, 2026, designed to put a legal ceiling on 'unnecessary and unreasonable fee hikes' by private unaided schools and colleges. Fee regulation has been one of the sharpest flashpoints between Punjab parents and private institutions for years — a grievance the Aam Aadmi Party repeatedly invoked during its 2022 election campaign. The bill now heads to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha for passage, after which the government will need to notify the implementing rules.

Outsourced workers, contractual status, and what changes

The Cabinet also cleared the Punjab State Outsourced Personnel Transition to Contractual Engagement Bill, 2026, which would move outsourced government employees onto formal contractual terms — a shift that typically brings improved job security, defined pay scales, and access to service benefits. Outsourced public-sector workers have long occupied a precarious middle ground: performing government functions without the protections of regular or even contractual employment. The bill's passage and rule notification will be the next critical milestone to watch.

Three new Digital Open Universities and the access push

Rounding out the major decisions, the Cabinet approved the establishment of three new Digital Open Universities across the state. The move extends Mann's administration's stated priority of widening higher-education access through technology — particularly for students in rural Punjab who face geographic and economic barriers to conventional campus-based learning. Specific names and locations for the three institutions have not yet been officially announced.

The Council of Ministers framed the session's output as 'landmark decisions aimed at strengthening education, improving governance and public service delivery, and promoting inclusive development' — language that maps directly onto the AAP's founding pitch to Punjab voters four years ago. Whether the two bills clear the assembly floor and translate into notified, enforceable rules will determine how landmark these decisions ultimately prove to be.