IEP Chandigarh, February 21

Punjab Cabinet led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann today gave nod to the Policy for Welfare of Adhoc, Contractual, Daily Wages, Work Charged and Temporary employees thereby paving way for regularising the services of 14417 employees.

A decision to this effect was taken in a meeting of the Council of Ministers chaired by the Chief Minister here at the Punjab Civil Secretariat- I.

Divulging the details, a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that the services of 13,000 employees have already been regularised. Under the regime of the earlier Governments, various appointments to ‘Group C’ and ‘Group D’ level posts , have been made on contract/temporary basis on the basis of imminent requirement and exigencies of service. Some of such employees have now put in a period of 10 years and more with State and they have given their prime years of life in service of the State.

The Government has felt that now at this stage, to relieve them or to replace them in this capacity in service with another set of people will be unjustified and improper. Thus, being a Welfare State and to protect the interest of these contractual/ temporary employees, state has formulated the present policy, under Article 162 read with entry 41 of list-Il of the Seventh Schedule of Constitution of India, to ensure that such employees do not suffer from uncertainty and harassment and to grant them a security of tenure. The state has taken a policy decision to continue such desirous suitable employees, who fulfill the eligibility conditions, in service till the age of 58 years by placing them in a special cadre.

The employees who have worked on adhoc, contractual, daily wages, work charged or temporary basis for a continuous period of minimum ten years till the issuance of present policy will be regularized. The applicant must have the requisite qualification and experience for the post in terms of rules if any at the time of placement in the Special Cadre. The work and conduct of the applicant must have remained satisfactory as per the assessment of the department/employer during the period of 10 years service.

For calculation a period of ten years, the employee must have worked for a period of minimum 240 days in each of these ten calendar years and notional breaks will not be considered while calculating a period of ten years. For the purpose of grant of continuation to the contractual/ad-hoc/ temporary employees etc. and giving them security of tenure, subject to good work and conduct, till the age of 58 years, they will be placed on a post, which shall not be a cadre post, by creating special cadre of posts.

These employees will not be placed in the regular cadre of sanctioned posts in the service under the statutory service rules and will form a special cadre of posts created especially for them. The process of placement of beneficiary employee, subject to clause 2 and 3 of this Policy, shall commence on the submission of the Application Form by an employee seeking placement under this Policy.  Application form must be accompanied with all required documents as prescribed and incomplete application form shall be liable to be summarily rejected.

GREEN SIGNAL TO PUNJAB STATE ADVENTURE TOURISM POLICY

The Cabinet also gave green signal to Punjab State Adventure Tourism Policy for attracting private investment in the stale. The Policy provides a transparent mechanism for approval of Adventure Tourism Projects which will be cleared only by an Empowered Committee chaired by the Chief Minister and the various parameters on which each project will be evaluated. A single-window system and ease of Inter- Departmental Coordination at various levels has been suitably incorporated in it.

As per the policy permissions to commence Adventure Sports in the State shall initially be given to recognized National Adventure Sport Federations as they are best equipped to handle the safety issues. As far as possible the sites shall be given free of cost for a period of two years in order to give an initial boost to the development of Adventure Tourism in the State. These sports are expected to generate a lot of local employment as well as overall economic upliftment of the area where these are organized.

GIVES NOD TO THE PUNJAB STATE WATER TOURISM POLICY

The Cabinet also gave nod to the Punjab State Water Tourism Policy which seeks to give a big boost for attracting private investment near Water Bodies in the state. The Policy provides a transparent mechanism for approval of Water Tourism Projects. Keeping in view the scarcity of water resources and the huge economic potential these offer, Water Tourism Projects are proposed to be cleared only by an Empowered Committee chaired by the Chief Minister. The Policy focuses on long term economic gain and the choice of projects shall depend on the future growth potential and their ability to boost the image of the State as a popular and “smart” tourist destination.

 IEP Chandigarh, February 21 

Punjab Cabinet under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday approved an amendment in Punjab Shops and Commercial Establishments Rules, 1958 by insertion of new rules 23 and 24, after existing rule 22, to promote the Punjabi Language the mother tongue of Punjab in a big way. A decision to this effect was taken in a meeting of Cabinet held under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister here at his office in Punjab Civil Secretariat- I. Divulging the details a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that as per the amendment it will be mandatory for every establishment to display its name on the Name Board in Gurmukhi script in Punjabi. However, other languages can also be used to display name on the board in addition to the display in Gurmukhi script in Punjabi. Those establishments, who have not done so far, will have to do so within six months of coming into force of these rules. Whoever contravenes the new provisions shall be punishable with fine not exceeding rupees one thousand for first offence and rupees two thousand for every subsequent offence. SIMPLIFIES PROCESS TO ENSURE CLU WITH 45 DAYS In order to give boost to economic activity in the state by encouraging real estate sector, the Cabinet also gave nod to simplify the process of issuing Change of Land Use (CLU) within 45 days. Permission of CLU is mandatory to start any construction/activity on any parcel of land in Punjab only after which permission of Layout plan/Building Plan and license to colony is granted for that activity. This whole process sometimes takes more than 6 months which cause undue delay in the project. But now permission of CLU, Layout Plan/Building Plan and license to colony will be given at a single time which will reduce the time-line for granting the above said permission to 45-60 days. EXTENDS RESERVATION TO RIOT/ TERRORIST VICTIMS TILL DECEMBER 31, 2026 The Cabinet also gave a go ahead to extend reservation of 5% to Riots/ Terrorist Victims in allotment of plots/ houses by Urban Estates/ Improvement Trusts/ Pepsu Township Development board and others without any financial concession. The policy had expired on December 31, 2021 but with this decision the policy will be extended for five more years, i.e., upto December 31, 2026. NOD TO “THE PUNJAB FOOD GRAINS TRANSPORTATION POLICY 2023” AND “THE PUNJAB FOOD GRAINS LABOUR & CARTAGE POLICY 2023” The Punjab Cabinet also approved “The Punjab Food grains Transportation Policy 2023” for the transportation of Food grains and “The Punjab Food grains Labour & Cartage Policy 2023” for the Labour & Cartage of Food grains in the state of Punjab. Government of Punjab through its State Procurement Agencies and FCI procures food grains from various designated centres/mandis. During the year 2023, works of food grain transportation, Labour and Cartage of food grains will be allotted through a competitive and transparent online tender system. Punjab government has sought an upward revision of 25% in wage of labours from the Food Corporation of India. However, the central agency has allowed only 20% due to which the state government has agreed for gap funding of 5% to secure rights of labours for which state government will spend Rs 7-8 crore.  EX-POST FACTO APPROVAL TO INCREASE THE SALARY OF PATWARI ON CONTRACTUAL BASIS AND FILLING 1766 REGULAR POSTS OF PATWARIS FROM RETIRED PATWAIS/ KANUNGOS ON CONTRACTUAL BASIS In wake of administrative requirements, the Cabinet also gave ex-post facto approval to increase the salary of Patwari on contractual basis from Rs. 25000/- to Rs. 35000/- and to extend the upper age limit from 64 to 67 years w.e.f. August 16, 2022. As Revenue Department is one of the major departments of the State and the major duty of Revenue Patwaris is to maintain, update and maintain old revenue record. However, due to vacant posts of revenue patwaris it has became difficult to run the affairs of the Revenue Department in an efficient manner due to. 

IEP Chandigarh, February 20

          Punjab Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Rural Development & Panchayats and NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal has ordered the officials to ensure that the entire work was to be done in Punjabi language.

          Mr. Dhaliwal congratulated all Punjabis on ‘Punjabi Diwas’ (February 21) and said that the state government led by Bhagwant Mann has taken a big decision and announced to give top priority to Punjabi language on all boards across the state. He said that the state government has made it mandatory to write Punjabi language at the top of all government, private or other boards, after that any language can be written.

          The cabinet minister directed the senior and district officials of the departments under his portfolio to give priority to Punjabi in writing the names of all the boards, notice boards and names of their offices, while other languages should be written after Punjabi.

          The minister appealed the Punjabis that they should use Punjabi in their families to ensure existence of their mother tongue.

          Mr. Dhaliwal invited the entire Punjabi community and said that Punjabi is our mother tongue and it is our moral duty to respect and give priority to the mother tongue. He said that Punjabi is spoken in 150 countries. While citing a report of UN, he said that Punjabi has got 12th place out of 7000 languages around the world. He said that it is expected that as many as 2000 languages would disappearing in the next 50 years and Punjabi is also one of them, as revealed in this report. He said that the state government will take all meaningful steps to promote the mother tongue Punjabi.

IEP Ludhiana, February 20

Reiterating the firm commitment of the state government to clean Buddha Nullah in Ludhiana, the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday dedicated STP and other projects Worth Rs 315.50 crore  for cleaning and rejuvenation of Buddha Nullah.

The Chief Minister, while addressing the gathering during dedication of Punjab’s biggest STP here, expressed deep concern over the polluted Buddha Nullah adding that this was the result of the callousness of successive governments of the state. Bhagwant Mann said that he had been raising this issue as MP too because the polluted water from Nullah mixes with Satluj river and causes havoc in other parts of state too. He said that the villages in Jalalabad (Fazilka) were worst affected by it but the former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, who represented Jalalabad never did anything to solve this problem resulting in miseries for the people.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister envisioned that the newly constructed STP with capacity of 225 MLD will be instrumental in the cleaning of the Buddha Nullah in the city. He said that this will act as a catalyst in checking the water pollution in this nullah which was flowing in the heart of the city. Bhagwant Mann said that 14 kilometre of this nullah crosses from within the city adding that a detailed project has been chalked out for the cleaning of this nullah.

The Chief Minister said that as per this detailed project has been chalked out at a cost of Rs 650 crore under AMRUT and Smart City scheme. He said that as per the funding pattern the state government is spending Rs 392 crore on this project whereas the Union government is giving a matching grant of Rs 258 crore. Bhagwant Mann said that today projects worth Rs 315.50 crore including STP with 225 MLD capacity and others have been dedicated to the people.          

The Chief Minister further said that corruption was the enemy of Punjab and its people adding that his government has adopted a zero tolerance policy against the corrupt elements in the state. He said that his government has started a crusade against corruption due to which the leaders of corrupt parties are hatching conspiracies against him. Bhagwant Mann said that baffled by this drive, the corrupt leaders are stooping too low by passing derogatory personal comments against him but this will not deter him from wiping out corruption from the state.

The Chief Minister reiterated that anyone who had plundered the money of Punjab and its people will be made accountable for his sins against the state. He said that the corrupt elements will be put behind the bars and will not be spared at any cost. Bhagwant Mann solicited fulsome support and cooperation from the people in the tirade of the state government against the corruption.

Talking about the ‘Sarkar Aapke Dwaar’ scheme, the Chief Minister said that it is aimed at ensuring that the officers especially the Deputy Commissioners and Additional Deputy Commissioners maximize their field visits, especially in villages, and interact with the people by going to villages. He said that it is the need of the hour to facilitate the people in getting their day-to-day works done easily besides ensuring good governance to them. Bhagwant Mann said that this will help in better functioning of the offices along with better acquaintance with the ground realities.

The Chief Minister said that the state government has fulfilled the guarantee of giving 300 units of free electricity per month from July 1. He said that it is a matter of great pride and satisfaction that 87% of the households in the state have zero electricity bills in the months of November-December, 2022. Bhagwant Mann said that he hails from a common family and knows well what are the problems being faced by them.

The Chief Minister unequivocally said that the state has not even a single drop of surplus water to share with any other state. He said that there is no question of initiating the work on SYL as it is not in the interest of the state and its people. Bhagwant Mann reiterated the firm commitment of his government to safeguard the interests of the state at all costs.

The Chief Minister also assailed the traditional parties of the state for working against the interests of the state. He said that these parties connived with the toll and sand mafia to extend largesse to them by backstabbing the people of state. However, Bhagwant Mann said that his government has shut the toll plazas who’s term has expired adding that 33 public mines have been dedicated to people for ensuring cheap availability of sand to people.

IEP Chandigarh, February 20

          Punjab Water Resources Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer on Monday handed over appointment letters to newly selected 15 JEs and 14 clerks in Punjab Water Resources Management and Development Corporation (PWRMDC) at Punjab Bhavan, Chandigarh.

          Congratulating the newly appointed employees, the Water Resources Minister said that the State Government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is giving employment to the youth on priority basis.

          The State Government has given appointment letters to 27000 youths in a span of just 11 months. Even in the coming time, the government will create employment opportunities for the youth by establishing new projects by creating an investment-friendly environment in the state, said the Minister.

          Meet Hayer also said that the Punjab Government, lending a helping hand to the corporation neglected for a long time, has made new recruitments besides giving promotions. Apart from this, Rs. 220 crore worth projects of tube wells and hollows are being started across the state.

          The Minister asked the youth who got the appointment letters to perform their services in the public interest with diligence and honesty. He said that the water resources department is directly connected with the farmers, that’s why the newly appointed employees can contribute to the welfare of farmers by rendering their best services.

          Prominent among others who were present at the occasion included PWRMDC Chairman Ranjit Singh Cheema, Water Resources Principal Secretary Krishan Kumar, PWRMDC Managing Director Dr. Harinder Pal Singh Bedi and other officials.

IEP Chandigarh, February 19

Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana, Sh. Dushyant Chautala said that Savitri Bai Phule ignited the flame of women’s education at a time when no importance was given to it. Her efforts started a revolution in the education of women across the country. We all should take a vow to follow the path as shown by Mata Savitri Bai Phule.

The Deputy Chief Minister was speaking during the state level birth anniversary celebrations of Mata Savitri Bai Phule in Kaithal on Sunday as the Chief Guest. On this occasion, the Deputy Chief Minister announced Rs. 21 lakh for the hall to be built in the name of Mata Savitri Bhai Phule. After passing the resolution by the city councillors, It was also considered renaming a city chowk Mata Savitri Bai Phule’s honour.

Sh. Dushyant Chautala said that at present women are achieving a high position in every field. Taking steps towards women empowerment, the state government has made arrangements to provide 50 percent reservation for women in Panchayati Raj institutions. Women should come forward and act themselves after becoming public representatives and protect their rights. e-libraries are being established to increase more opportunities for education in rural areas. Prime Minister, Sh. Narendra Modi has also decided to roll out this ambitious scheme across the country. He said that the Sati system and other societal evils were widespread in ancient times. Savitri Bai Phule and other great souls have fought to eradicate these ills. As a result of the struggle of Mata Savitri Bai Phule, women have got opportunities for education.

The Deputy Chief Minister said that the political participation of women is also increasing day by day in the state of Haryana. Haryana has made a distinct identity in sports and education. Women like Kalpana Chawla and Sakshi Malik have brought laurels to the state at the international level. He continued by saying that Haryanvi culture must be preserved and that we must all work to convey the next generation about our great culture and tradition.

IEP CHANDIGARH, February 19

          Amidst the ongoing drive against drugs and anti-social elements launched on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Punjab Police on Sunday carried out a special operation ‘OPs Seal’ aimed at checking of all the vehicles entering the border state of Punjab. The operation was conducted on the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav.

           Well-coordinated strong nakas involving 1600 Police Personnel, were set-up under the supervision of Inspectors/DSPs at all the 131 entry/exit points of 10 districts, which share boundaries with Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan and Haryana. The 10 inter-state border districts include Pathankot, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Fazilka, Ropar, SAS Nagar, Patiala, Sangrur, Mansa, Hoshiarpur, and Bathinda.

          The operation was conducted in a synchronised manner from 8am to 2pm and all the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSPs) were asked to mobilise a maximum number of officers and manpower for this operation to lay strong ‘nakas’ at sealing points under the supervision of Gazetted officers/SHOs.

          Giving details, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Law and Order Arpit Shukla said that the objective of this operation was to keep check on illegal drug trafficking and illicit liquor smuggling, besides, movement of gangsters and anti social elements.

          He said that during an operation, a thorough search of suspected vehicles/persons was ensured while ensuring minimum inconvenience was caused to the general public. “We had strictly instructed all the Police Personnel to deal with every commuter in a friendly and polite manner while checking their vehicle during the course of this operation,” he added.

          The ADGP said that as many as 6378 vehicles entering the state were checked, of which 366 were challaned and 32 were impounded. The Police have also registered 33 first information reports (FIRs) and arrested three proclaimed offenders.

          Apart from this, the Police teams have recovered 70kg poppy husk, 1kg charas, 110grams heroin and ₹1 lakh drug money.

          Meanwhile, such operations help in showing the police presence in the field, besides, infusing fear among anti-social elements and instilling a sense of security among common people.

IEP Chandigarh, February 19:     

      The Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is making every possible effort to provide basic facilities, clean and pollution free environment to the people of the state. Under this series,  development works are being conducted continuously across the state.           Giving more information in this regard, Local Government Minister, Dr.Inderbir Singh Nijjar said that the Punjab government has decided to spend approximately Rs 11.46 crore on development works to beautify the city in connection with G-20.           Cabinet Minister, Dr Nijjar said that approximately Rs 4.97 crore will be spent for replacement and installation of Street lights in Amritsar city. It will also include operation and maintenance of street lights for a period of 5 years, he said.           He further said that Rs 6.49 cr will be spent for widening of Dhapai Road at Amritsar city from railway crossing to Gande Nallah and from Kot Khalsa to Bohri Sahib road by providing/laying interlocking tiles. Similarly, interlocking tiles will also be provided/Laying of various streets of Ward No. 28,69,74 and 83, beautification of parks and others development works will be done.           Minister said that the office process for these works has already been started by the local government department. He said that the Local Government Department has uploaded the e-tenders for these works on the Punjab Government website www.eproc.punjab.gov.in. If any kind of amendment is required in these tenders then all the information will be made available on this website.           He said that the main objective of the Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is to provide basic facilities, clean and pollution free environment to the people of the state.           He has instructed the officials to ensure quality and transparency in the work of the department. 

IEP Chandigarh, February 19

          Punjab Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, has sought the support of Punjabis to make the state ‘Rangla Punjab’. He has appealed to all the Punjabis who have illegally occupied the panchayati lands should come forward to leave the land so that Punjab can be put on progressive path.

          Mr. Dhaliwal said that on the directives of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, a campaign was successfully launched by the Department of Rural Development and Panchayats during the year 2022 to get rid of illegal encroachments and demarcation of Panchayat Lands in the villages. He informed that illegal possession has been razed from more than 9389 acres of Panchayat Land during this campaign. He said that the state government is committed to the welfare of Punjab and the people of Punjab and strenuous efforts are going on to put the state on high growth trajectory.

          The Cabinet Minister said that all the old records related to Shamlat Lands were being examined thoroughly with the arduous efforts of the Shamlat Cell and examination already been accomplished of 153 blocks so far. He said that the department has identified such type of 1,39,818 acres of land, which will be used for the welfare of the people in future.

          Mr. Dhaliwal said that a total of 6206 acres of land under Patiala division has been freed from illegal possessions and handed over to concerned Panchayats for proper usage by December 2022. He said that illegal encroachment from 1100 acres land of Patiala, 808 acres of Ludhiana, 464 acres of Fatehgarh Sahib, 194 acres of Sangrur, 3469 acres of SAS Nagar, 154 acres of Rupnagar, 8 acres of Barnala and 9 acres land of Malerkotla have been razed with the help of law enforcement agencies.

          The Cabinet Minister further said that a total of 507 acres of land under Ferozepur division has been freed from encroachments. He further added that illegal possession razed from 128 acres land of district Ferozepur, 187 acres of Fazilka, 27 acres of Sri Muktsar Sahib, 13 acres of Mansa, 49 acres of Bathinda, 26 acres of Moga and 77 acres of Faridkot. Similarly, illegal possession has been removed from a total of 2676 acres of land falls under Jalandhar division. “609 acres of Gurdaspur, 602 acres of Kapurthala, 264 acres of Amritsar, 239 acres of Jalandhar, 308 acres of Hoshiarpur, 126 acres of Tarn Taran, 228 acres of SBS Nagar and 300 acres land of Pathankot have been freed from illegal occupants,” he added.

IEP Chandigarh, February 19:   

       Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker S. Kultar Singh Sandhawan, on Sunday, said that an important meeting will be held in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on February 21 to discuss the public interest issue of selling medicines on exorbitant rates, which is leading to public loot. The meeting would be attended by the cabinet ministers, MLAs, health experts and representatives of various NGOs.          As part of the series of discussions pertaining to various Public issues, the Speaker said, this discussion will be held on this burning issue because it is a common belief that due to selling of medicines on high prices, people are being robbed and medicines are going beyond the reach of the poor, so finding a solution to this problem of public interest, is the need of the hour.          He said that this meeting would enable MLAs, who work as a link between the public and the government, to have a meaningful debate in the assembly on this burning issue of public interest so that suitable steps for its proper solution could be taken. Apart from cabinet ministers and MLAs, health experts and representatives of various social organizations will attend the meeting.