Punjab finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Friday launched the Unified Sanction Management System (USMS), a digital platform aimed at streamlining the processing of administrative, technical and financial sanctions while integrating them directly with the state’s payment systems.
The e-sanction module, developed by the department of treasuries and accounts in coordination with the National Informatics Centre (NIC), will replace the existing paper-based sanction process with a fully digital workflow.
The initiative is expected to improve financial management, transparency and accountability across government departments.
Launching the module at the Punjab Municipal Bhawan in Sector 35, Cheema said the system would facilitate the online issuance of sanctions and their automatic integration with the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS) for bill generation and payment processing.
Complete audit trail
Highlighting the benefits of the platform, the minister said every stage of sanction processing will now be digitally recorded with timestamps, user credentials and approval hierarchies, creating a complete audit trail. He added that the system will also validate budget availability before sanctions were issued, helping departments avoid excess expenditure and ensuring adherence to budgetary provisions.
Cheema said the digital platform will bring uniformity in sanction formats and reduce procedural inconsistencies and clerical errors related to account heads, scheme mapping and beneficiary details through automated validation mechanisms.
The minister added that the module had been developed in compliance with the Government of India’s financial reform guidelines under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) scheme for 2026-27. He said the successful roll-out of the system will make Punjab eligible for an incentive of ₹50 crore under the scheme while ensuring end-to-end traceability and monitoring of government sanctions.
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