PUNJAB PUBLIC AWARENESS AND DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION ACT 2025

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PUNJAB PUBLIC AWARENESS AND DISSEMINATION OF 
INFORMATION ACT 2025  
(LVII of 2025) 
CONTENTS 
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
TEXT 
1
PUNJAB PUBLIC AWARENESS AND DISSEMINATION OF 
INFORMATION ACT 2025  
(LVII of 2025) 
           [25 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 n ewspapers, 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 Depart ment of 
the Government; 
(d) “Director General” means the Director Gener al 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 
                                              
1This Act was passed by Provincial Assembly of the Punjab on 16 June 2025; and was assented to by Governor of the Punjab 
on 25 June 2025; and was published in the Punjab Gazette (Extraordinary), dated: 25 June 2025, pp. 5249-5251. 
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 o ther 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 substanti ally 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 l aunch 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 p roject.- 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 agenc y 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 act ion 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 d ays before the Secretary of the Department and t he 
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 emp loyees 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.