Chandigarh, April 2 -- Chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday said the state will conduct its first-ever caste-based socioeconomic survey from April 1 to ensure equitable development and targeted policymaking. Presenting a four-year report card of the rural development and panchayat department, Mann said the survey will assess the living standards of all communities for large-scale infrastructure creation, revenue generation through transparent land management, and youth-focused development programmes. The CM highlighted how sustained policy interventions have transformed village infrastructure, strengthened grassroots governance, and expanded employment opportunities across rural Punjab. "The exercise aims to assess the living standards of all communities while maintaining complete confidentiality. The rural development report card is part of a wider governance framework under which the AAP government is presenting sector-wise performance across education, healthcare, irrigation, agriculture, and other key areas, underlining its focus on accountability, transparency, and measurable outcomes," he said. "There are 13,236 panchayats in Punjab, the polls for which were conducted in 2024, with a large number of Panchayats elected unanimously. In 2018, around 1,870 panchayats were elected unanimously, but in 2024, as many as 2,970 panchayats were elected unanimously," he said. Mann said holistic development of the villages has taken place in the last four years, involving massive construction work, cleaning of ponds, and the state has generated money by removing the illegal encroachments from the government lands. "Under the 15th Finance Commission for Rural Development, Rs.2,367.64 crore was spent on rural development in 2025-26, which was double compared to 2024-25," the CM said. "During 2017-22, Rs.1,883 crore was spent on the development of villages in five years, whereas the state government has spent Rs.3,847 crore in the last four years," the CM said, adding that Rs.1,030.94 crore was spent on panchayat buildings, libraries, anganwadi centres, playgrounds, streets, drains, and other development works....