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  "title": "PUNJAB PUBLIC AWARENESS AND DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION ACT 2025",
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  "source_url": "https://punjabcode.punjab.gov.pk/en/show_article/ATEFMgU7ATNRMA--",
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  "text": "PUNJAB PUBLIC AWARENESS AND DISSEMINATION OF \r\nINFORMATION ACT 2025  \r\n(LVII of 2025) \r\nCONTENTS \r\n1. Short title, extent and commencement \r\n2. Definitions \r\n3. Public awareness \r\n4. Parameters of public awareness campaign \r\n5. Naming of public project \r\n6. Responsibility for public awareness \r\n7. Eligibility criteria for advertising agency \r\n8. Complaint redressal forums \r\n9. Bar of jurisdiction \r\n10. Power to make rules \r\n11. Indemnity \r\n12. Savings \r\n13. Overriding effect \r\n14. Removal of difficulties\r\nTEXT \r\n1\r\nPUNJAB PUBLIC AWARENESS AND DISSEMINATION OF \r\nINFORMATION ACT 2025  \r\n(LVII of 2025) \r\n           [25 June 2025] \r\nAn \r\nAct \r\nto disseminate public awareness regarding Government projects, initiatives, \r\nprograms and policies for ensuring access to information, participation of public and \r\ntransparency in respect thereof. \r\nIt is  necessary to disseminate public awareness regarding Government and public \r\nbody projects, initiatives, programs and policies for ensuring access to information, \r\nparticipation of public and transparency in respect thereof and for all matters \r\nancillary, incidental thereto and connected therewith. \r\nBe it enacted by the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab as follows: \r\n1. Short title, extent and commencement .– (1) This Act may be cited as the \r\nPunjab Public Awareness and Dissemination of Information Act 2025. \r\n(2) It extends to whole of the Punjab.  \r\n(3) It shall come into force at once and shall be deemed to have come into \r\nforce from the 1st January 2024. \r\n2. Definitions.– In the Act: \r\n(a) “Act” means the Punjab Public Awareness and Dissemination of \r\nInformation Act 2025; \r\n(b) “advertising agency” means n ewspapers, television channels, \r\nradio channels, cable networks, digital media platforms, bill \r\nboards or any other medium registered or enlisted with the \r\nFederal Government or under any other law for the time being in \r\nforce; \r\n(c) “Department” means the Information and Culture Depart ment of \r\nthe Government; \r\n(d) “Director General” means the Director Gener al of Public \r\nRelations, Punjab of the Department; \r\n(e) “Government” means Government of the Punjab; \r\n(f) “prescribed” means prescribed by the rules or by the order of the \r\nGovernment till the rules are framed; \r\n(g) “public awareness campaign” includes any form of \r\ncommunication initiated by the Government or a public body to \r\n                                              \r\n1This Act was passed by Provincial Assembly of the Punjab on 16 June 2025; and was assented to by Governor of the Punjab \r\non 25 June 2025; and was published in the Punjab Gazette (Extraordinary), dated: 25 June 2025, pp. 5249-5251. \r\ninform the public about public projects, programs, initiatives, \r\nservices, activities, policies, and anything as prescribed;  \r\n(h) “public body” means: \r\n(i) a department, attached department, autonomous or semi-\r\nautonomous body of the Government, a company of the \r\nGovernment or a special institution;  \r\n(ii) a local government constituted under the Punjab Local \r\nGovernment Act 2022 ( XXXIII of 2022) or any o ther law \r\nfor the time being in force;  \r\n(iii) Secretariat of Governor of the Punjab;  \r\n(iv) a statutory body established under a provincial law; and  \r\n(v) a non-government organization substanti ally financed by \r\nthe Government; \r\n(i) “public project” means and includes any project funded, wholly \r\nor partly by the Government, undertaken or executed by any \r\npublic body for the welfare of the public at large or a specific \r\nclass or group of persons; and \r\n(j) “rules” means the rules made under the Act. \r\n3. Public awareness .– (1) The Government or a public body may l aunch a \r\npublic awareness campaign. \r\n(2) A public awareness campaign may be made through any advertising \r\nagency, commercials or messages across various platforms including bill boards, \r\ntelevision, print, radio, cinema, digital and other mediums for disseminating \r\ninformation and raising awareness among public about Government or public body \r\npolicies, projects, programs and initiatives or in such other manner as may be \r\nprescribed. \r\n(3) For the purpose of sub -section (1), a renowned person including but \r\nnot limited to a sports person, celebrity, academician, scholar, or thought leader may \r\nbe engaged. \r\n(4) A public awareness campaign shall only be launched for public project. \r\n4. Parameters of public awareness campaign.- A public awareness campaign \r\nmay include but not limited to the following: \r\n(a) proponent of the public project; \r\n(b) nature and importance of the public project; \r\n(c) estimated or allocated funding for the public project; \r\n(d) total cost of the public project; \r\n(e) timeline of completion of the public project; or \r\n(f) any other matter as may be prescribed. \r\n5. Naming of public p roject.- Notwithstanding anything contained in the Act  or \r\nany other law for the time being in force , the Government may name, rename, alter \r\nor change the name of any public project. \r\n6. Responsibility for public awareness .- Unless otherwise notified by the \r\nGovernment, the Director General, shall be responsible to release, publish, telecast \r\nor broadcast the public awareness campaign through advertising agenc y in such \r\nmanner as may be prescribed. \r\n7. Eligibility criteria for advertising agency .- A public awareness campaign \r\nshall be launched through such advertising agency as may be pre -qualified by the \r\nDepartment in such manner as may be prescribed.  \r\n8. Complaint redressal forums.- (1) Any person aggrieved by any act ion under \r\nthe Act may file a complaint before the Director General. \r\n(2) Where any complaint is filed under sub -section (1), the same shall be \r\ndecided by the Director General within sixty days of the filing of such complaint. \r\n(3) Any person aggrieved by any order passed under sub -section (2), may \r\nfile an appeal, within thirty d ays before the Secretary of the Department and t he \r\ndecision of the Secretary shall be final.  \r\n9. Bar of jurisdiction .– No court, including the civil court shall have jurisdiction \r\nin any matter arising out of or under the Act.  \r\n10. Power to make rules .– The Government may, by notification in the official \r\nGazette, make rules for carrying out the purposes of the Act. \r\n11. Indemnity.- No suit, prosecution or other legal proceedings shall lie against \r\nthe Government, public body, officers of the Department, or emp loyees performing \r\nunder the Act, for any damage caused or likely to be caused by any act or omission \r\nwhich is, in good faith, done or intended to be done under the Act or rules. \r\n12. Savings.- All public awareness campaigns undertaken by the Government or \r\npublic body since 1st January 2024 shall be deemed to have been validly undertaken \r\nunder the Act. \r\n13. Overriding effect.– Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for \r\nthe time being in force, including  any judgment, order, or decree of any court  \r\nincluding the Supreme Court or a High Court and  any undertaking tendered before \r\nany court or any other legal forum, the provisions of the Act shall prevail. \r\n14. Removal of difficulties .– If any difficulty arises in giving effect to the \r\nprovisions of the Act, the Government, at any time, may make such orders or give \r\nsuch directions as are necessary to remove such difficulty.",
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