Capt forms cabinet sub-committee to curb stray cattle menace in state

As per data, 114 lives lost in 2018 on state roads in mishaps involving animals

CHANDIGARH: Chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday formed a five-member cabinet sub-committee to look into the growing menace of stray cattle in the state and make suggestions to tackle it in a holistic manner. He also announced a grant of ₹10 lakh each to the deputy commissioners for opening at least one more gaushala in their respective districts.

The committee, headed by animal husbandry minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, has PWD minister Vijay Inder Singla, local government minister Brahm Mahindra, health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu and industries minister Sunder Sham Arora as members. As per the data of ministry of road transport, 114 persons had died on Punjab roads in accidents involving stray animals in 2018.

Going by the figures of state’s Gau Sewa Commission, nearly 1.10 lakh cattle heads are roaming free in the state. The 472 gaushalas operational in the state are struggling to feed at least 4 lakh cattle for lack of funds and there are apprehensions that some more may have to be set free. Reviewing the status of gaushalas already operational, the CM asked the DCS to rope in NGOS, social and religious organisations, besides rural development and panchayats, local bodies and animal husbandry departments to address the issue.

The sub-committee will also mandate the district administrations to undertake the task to finalise an action plan for checking the stray cattle menace in a

result-oriented manner.

OTHER DECISIONS

The cabinet also decided to ease recruitment rules for Punjab Civil Services by amending legislations to accommodate more candidates. It also approved a dues recovery and settlement scheme for the state’s defaulting rice millers, paving the way for the recovery of a significant portion of the ₹2041.5-crore outstanding amount. A spokesperson said the defaulting millers, up to and including crop year 2014-15, shall be eligible to take benefit of the scheme, excluding the defaulters who had availed of

the OTS of 2017.

A move that is expected to generate around ₹50 crore, the cabinet decided to disinvest 90 lakh shares of Punjab State Industrial Development Corporation (PSIDC) in Punjab Alkalies and Chemicals Limited (PACL).THE amount realised from the move will be utilised for paying the debts of PSIDC. The custom milling policy for paddy (kharif 2019-20) will have more security provisions, including criminal penalty for diversion of rice, as per the cabinet decision. The criteria