THE PUNJAB PUBLIC AWARENESS AND DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION ACT 2025

(Act LVII of 2025)

C O N T E N T S

 

Section                                            Heading

 

           1.      Short title, extent and commencement.

           2.      Definitions.

           3.      Public awareness.

           4.      Parameters of public awareness campaign.

           5.      Naming of public project.

           6.      Responsibility for public awareness.

           7.      Eligibility criteria for advertising agency.

           8.      Complaint redressal forums.

           9.      Bar of jurisdiction.

           10.    Power to make rules.

           11.    Indemnity.

           12.    Savings.

           13.    Overriding effect.

           14.    Removal of difficulties.

 

 

[1]THE PUNJAB PUBLIC AWARENESS AND DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION ACT 2025

 

(Act LVII of 2025)

 

[25th June 2025]

An Act to disseminate public awareness regarding Government projects, initiatives, programs and policies for ensuring access to information, participation of public and transparency in respect thereof.

It is necessary to disseminate public awareness regarding Government and public body projects, initiatives, programs and policies for ensuring access to information, participation of public and transparency in respect thereof and for all matters ancillary, incidental thereto and connected therewith.

Be it enacted by the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab as follows:

1.         Short title, extent and commencement.– (1) This Act may be cited as the Punjab Public Awareness and Dissemination of Information Act 2025.

(2)               It extends to whole of the Punjab.

(3)               It shall come into force at once and shall be deemed to have come into force from the 1st January 2024.

 

2.         Definitions.– In the Act:

(a)               “Act” means the Punjab Public Awareness and Dissemination of Information Act 2025;

(b)               “advertising agency” means newspapers, television channels, radio channels, cable networks, digital media platforms, bill boards or any other medium registered or enlisted with the Federal Government or under any other law for the time being in force;

(c)               “Department” means the Information and Culture Department of the Government;

(d)               “Director General” means the Director General of Public Relations, Punjab of the Department;

(e)               “Government” means Government of the Punjab;

(f)                “prescribed” means prescribed by the rules or by the order of the Government till the rules are framed;

(g)               “public awareness campaign” includes any form of communication initiated by the Government or a public body to inform the public about public projects, programs, initiatives, services, activities, policies, and anything as prescribed;

(h)               “public body” means:

(i)                 a department, attached department, autonomous or semi-autonomous body of the Government, a company of the Government or a special institution;

(ii)              a local government constituted under the Punjab Local Government Act 2022 (XXXIII of 2022) or any other law for the time being in force;

(iii)            Secretariat of Governor of the Punjab;

(iv)             a statutory body established under a provincial law; and

(v)               a non-government organization substantially financed by the Government;

(i)                 “public project” means and includes any project funded, wholly or partly by the Government, undertaken or executed by any public body for the welfare of the public at large or a specific class or group of persons; and

(j)                 “rules” means the rules made under the Act.

 

3.         Public awareness.– (1) The Government or a public body may launch a public awareness campaign.

(2)        A public awareness campaign may be made through any advertising agency, commercials or messages across various platforms including bill boards, television, print, radio, cinema, digital and other mediums for disseminating information and raising awareness among public about Government or public body policies, projects, programs and initiatives or in such other manner as may be prescribed.

(3)        For the purpose of sub-section (1), a renowned person including but not limited to a sports person, celebrity, academician, scholar, or thought leader may be engaged.

(4)        A public awareness campaign shall only be launched for public project.

 

4.         Parameters of public awareness campaign.- A public awareness campaign may include but not limited to the following:

(a)        proponent of the public project;

(b)        nature and importance of the public project;

(c)        estimated or allocated funding for the public project;

(d)       total cost of the public project;

(e)        timeline of completion of the public project; or

(f)        any other matter as may be prescribed.

 

5.         Naming of public project.- Notwithstanding anything contained in the Act or any other law for the time being in force, the Government may name, rename, alter or change the name of any public project.

 

6.         Responsibility for public awareness.- Unless otherwise notified by the Government, the Director General, shall be responsible to release, publish, telecast or broadcast the public awareness campaign through advertising agency in such manner as may be prescribed.

 

7.         Eligibility criteria for advertising agency.- A public awareness campaign shall be launched through such advertising agency as may be pre-qualified by the Department in such manner as may be prescribed.

 

8.         Complaint redressal forums.- (1) Any person aggrieved by any action under the Act may file a complaint before the Director General.

(2)        Where any complaint is filed under sub-section (1), the same shall be decided by the Director General within sixty days of the filing of such complaint.

(3)        Any person aggrieved by any order passed under sub-section (2), may file an appeal, within thirty days before the Secretary of the Department and the decision of the Secretary shall be final.

 

9.         Bar of jurisdiction.– No court, including the civil court shall have jurisdiction in any matter arising out of or under the Act.

 

10.       Power to make rules.– The Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, make rules for carrying out the purposes of the Act.

 

11.       Indemnity.- No suit, prosecution or other legal proceedings shall lie against the Government, public body, officers of the Department, or employees performing under the Act, for any damage caused or likely to be caused by any act or omission which is, in good faith, done or intended to be done under the Act or rules.

 

12.       Savings.- All public awareness campaigns undertaken by the Government or public body since 1st January 2024 shall be deemed to have been validly undertaken under the Act.

 

13.       Overriding effect.– Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, including any judgment, order, or decree of any court including the Supreme Court or a High Court and any undertaking tendered before any court or any other legal forum, the provisions of the Act shall prevail.

 

14.       Removal of difficulties.– If any difficulty arises in giving effect to the provisions of the Act, the Government, at any time, may make such orders or give such directions as are necessary to remove such difficulty.


[1]This Act was passed by Provincial Assembly of the Punjab on 16 June 2025; assented to by the Governor of the Punjab on 25 June 2025; and was published in the Punjab Gazette (Extraordinary), dated 25 June 2025, pages 5249-51.