OTHER KEY DECISIONS
NOD TO HOUSING SCHEME
‘The Punjab Shehri Awas Yojana-2017’ to provide free housing to eligible houseless SC/BC urban families also got nod. In the first phase, urban households with an annual income of less than ₹3 lakh and ₹5 lakh, in the second phase, would be eligible to claim free housing facility under the scheme, a major poll promise.
EMPOWERING FARMERS
Nod given to enact the ‘Punjab State Farmers Commission Act-2017’ to empower and safeguard the interests of the farming community, besides setting up a ‘Punjab State Council for Agricultural Education’ to promote agricultural education in the state. The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) V-C) will be the head of this council, who would regulate agricultural education in private colleges.
FARMERS’ COMMISSION
Go ahead for enactment of ‘Punjab State Farmers and Farm Labourers Commission Act-2017’ through an ordinance. The five-member commission, with nominated chairperson, member secretary, PAU V-C, GADVASU V-C and, assistant chief secretary (development) will have the powers to frame agriculture policy and other matters referred to by the government. The Commission will have a corpus fund of ₹25 crore initially and ₹5 crore for next five years. The chairperson will have the status of a cabinet minister and the member secretary would be in the rank of secretary to government.
CLIMATE CHALLENGE FUND FOR AWARENESS
Nod to set up ‘Climate Challenge Fund’, which will help the state in creating awareness among the farmers about the harmful effects of crop residue burning. The cabinet also agreed in principle to create a fund of ₹1 crore for giving incentives to those farmers adopting mechanical solutions to deal with crop residues.
GROUND WATER MANAGEMENT
It also decided to create a new entity, Directorate of Ground Water Management, under the irrigation wing of the department of irrigation and power, for conservation, utilisation and management of the depleting groundwater resources.
REGULARISING UNAUTHORISED WATER CONNECTIONS
The cabinet also approved a ‘one time settlement’ scheme for regularising unauthorised water and sewerage connections and recovery of arrears of water and sewerage charges, besides settling pending dues of house/property tax for urban local bodies in the state.
NOD TO HEALTH RULES
The cabinet also gave the go ahead to new ‘Punjab Health and Family Welfare Technical (Group A) Services Rules-2017’ framed by the health and family welfare department, thereby repealing all the previous notifications and service rules in this context.
NO TO MORE POSTS IN SC WELFARE DEPT
In view of the poor financial health of the Punjab Scheduled Castes Land Development and Finance Corporation and Punjab Backward Classes Land Development and Finance Corporation, the cabinet rejected a proposal mooted by the department of welfare of scheduled castes, backward classes and minorities for creating posts of senior vicechairman in these corporations.
EXTENSION TO JEs
The cabinet authorised the local government department and Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board to approve extension of contract appointment of 68 junior engineers (civil), transferred from the education department, after every six months.