Stamp makers receive orders for sarpanch seals in Punjabi, English

Stamp makers in the region have started receiving orders to create official seals (stamps) for newly elected sarpanches, with many requesting separate stamps in both Punjabi and English. This marks a shift from previous trends, where seals were typically made in one language.

Although stamp makers began receiving orders for seals from sarpanches and their representatives soon after elections, they hesitated to begin production until the elected officials were officially sworn in by government representatives.

Baljinder Singh, a stamp maker from the Ahmedgarh subdivision, explained that his staff began taking orders for sarpanch and panch seals shortly after elections, but they held off on execution. “We were unsure about the guidelines for authorising elected sarpanches and panches, so we decided to wait until the elected representatives were formally sworn in,” said Singh. He added most of the orders are now for sarpanch seals, as his district is one of the 19 districts where over 10,000 sarpanches were sworn in at a state-level event held today in Dhanansu village in Ludhiana.

Advocate Munish Sharma noted sarpanches and panchayat members in villages of Malerkotla district have been requesting seals in Punjabi and English. This is largely due to the needs of NRIs, who require official documents to be attested in English.

With their swearing-in, elected sarpanches will now have the authority to use their official seals freely in both languages.