Punjab govt okays 33% quota for women in jobs, dumps VIP culture
Bans beacons on vehicles of CM, ministers, MLAs, officials, clears proposal for 50 lakh smartphones, abolishes wholesale liquor licence policy, halqa incharge system, post of DTO; forms STF for drug menace, panel for farm debt waiver
Putting the Congress poll manifesto in action within two days of taking over the reins of Punjab, the council of ministers led by chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh attempted to strike a balance between populism and reforms in the first cabinet meeting held on Saturday at the Punjab Bhawan here.
The realpolitik behind selling Punjab as a “model state” is also the upcoming Delhi municipal elections against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as well as party’s revival in the national politics. The AAP was quick to take credit for being the inspiration for proposals to waive farm loans and ending the VIP culture.
The tone and agenda of the new cabinet was set by the party’s poll manifesto and the man who drafted it, new finance minister Manpreet Badal. In a meeting that lasted for over three hours, a third of government’s 140-point agenda saw the light of the day. As promised in the manifesto, the cabinet decided to ban red and other coloured beacon lights on all vehicles, starting from the CM to ministers, MLAs to bureaucrats with the exception of emergency services such as hospital ambulances, fire brigades, cars of chief justice and judges of Punjab and Haryana high court. A new policy on use of beacon lights on vehicles will soon be formulated and notified.
BAN ON FOREIGN TRAVEL
The cabinet also decided to ban foreign travel of all ministers, MLAs and officials on state’s expense for two years, except where it is so mandated or provided under a bilateral agreement or arrangement. The salary, allowances and reimbursements received by all MLAs would be updated every month on the official website. All MLAs would declare their immovable properties on January 1, every year and by July 1, this year.
The Amarinder government also fulfilled its second major election promise by allowing 33% reservation for women in all government jobs, including contractual appointments. The representation of women in the panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) and urban local bodies (ULBs) has been hiked from the present 33% to 50%.
GROUP OF EXPERTS TO ASSESS FARM DEBTS
The cabinet also decided to set up a group of experts to assess the quantum of farm loans and propose ways and means to waive it in a time-bound manner. The “Karza Kurki Maaf” campaign of the party before elections — under which its 600-odd ticket hopefuls enlisted families of farmers for debt waiver — was a turning point in the party’s campaign. It had spooked both the AAP and the Akali Dal to announce the same. The group would submit its report within 60 days to a cabinet sub-committee.
STF TO COUNTER DRUG PROBLEM
Coming good on its other promise of eradicating drug menace, the cabinet decided to set up a special task force (STF) in the CM’s office to prepare and implement a comprehensive programme to counter the problem. ADGP Harpreet Singh Sidhu, a 1992-batch IPS officer, who has the experience of counter-Naxal operations, will lead the STF.
The cabinet also decided to abolish the posts of district transport officers and halqa in-charges that played a key role in establishing the business and political clout of Akali Dal which had made the territorial jurisdiction of police stations co-terminus with that of party’s halqa chiefs. The state will return to the old system within three months. The cabinet also decided to end SAD “stranglehold” over transport sector by opening up the sector for free and fair grant of licenses for buses, mini-buses and other commercial vehicles in a transparent way. The department of transport will review and reformulate its existing policy and submit the next policy for consideration in the next meeting.