The Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Monday passed six Bills, including a legislation making sale of spurious seeds a non-bailable offence.
The legislations will now be sent to the Governor for approval, a necessary step before their implementation.
Under the Seeds (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2025, the first offence by a company will attract a punishment of one to two years and fine ranging from Rs 5 to 10 lakh.
A repeated offence will attract punishment of two to three years and fine of Rs 10 to 50 lakh. A similar misdeed by a dealer or any other person will attract a punishment of six months to one year and a fine of Rs 1-5 lakh for first offence and a term of one to two years and fine of Rs 5 to 10 lakh for a repeated offence.
Earlier, the fine was Rs 500 for the first offence and Rs 1,000, along with a jail term of up to six months, for the repeated offence. After the legislation was introduced in the House by Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian, Congress MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh termed the Bill as half-hearted approach.