Cabinet okays jobs for kin of 4 children killed in Maur blast
CHANDIGARH : The Punjab government on Friday approved special provisions in the rules to provide government jobs to one of the family members/kin of each of the four minors killed in the Maur Mandi bomb blast of January 31, 2017.
The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh.
It was decided to grant special provision on compassionate grounds according to the educational qualifications of one member each of the families of Japsimaran Singh, 15, s/o Khushdeep Singh; Sourav Singla, 14, s/o Rakesh Kumar; Ankush, 11, s/o Gian Chand; and Ripandeep Singh, 9, s/o Kala Singh.
The rules do not provide for employment in state service on compassionate grounds for minor deceased.
The cabinet decided to relax the rules to provide jobs to a member each according to their educational qualification in Bathinda district or adjoining districts against direct quota vacant posts as a special case.
The jobs provided by the state government are in addition to the financial grant of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of each of the deceased. The injured got Rs 50,000 each from the chief minister’s relief fund.
Seven people were killed and 13 injured in the blast at Maur Mandi in Bathinda district. The state government had earlier provided government jobs to the next of kin of two deceased, Harpal Singh, 40, s/o Teja Singh, and Ashok Kumar, 35, s/o Babu Ram, as per the existing policy, since both were the breadwinners of their families.
In Ashok Kumar’s case, his daughter, Bago, 11, was also killed, but since one member of the family has already been given a job, Bago has not been included in the special provision approved on Friday.
22 new posts of ADCs created
The cabinet also okayed the cre
ation of 22 posts of additional deputy commissioner (urban development) at all district headquarters in the state in place of regional deputy directors.
It also authorised the chief minister to take the final decision with regard to the responsibilities to be assigned to ADCs, powers to be delegated to these officers under different Acts of law, regulatory powers under Punjab Regional and Town Planning and Development Act, 1995, and all other administrative issues in this regard without presenting them to the cabinet.
Restructuring of five departments gets nod
Punjab also approved restructuring of five more departments, which the government spokesperson claimed would lead to the creation of 1,875 new posts. These departments are revenue, rehabilitation and disaster management; social security and women and child development; planning; social justice empowerment and minorities; and civil aviation.
The cabinet also approved implementation of mission “Lal Lakir” in all the villages across the state.
As no record of rights is available for such properties within the Lal Lakir, the same cannot currently be monetised as per real value of the property and no mortgages etc can be created on such properties.
Under the mission, rights of record of properties in the villages would be prepared, with cooperation of Government of India under the SVAMITVA scheme. This will enable mapping the land, households, habitation and all other areas falling within the Lal Lakir. In another significant decision, the cabinet also gave approval to the “Punjab (Welfare and Settlement of Landless, Marginal and Small Occupant Farmers) Allotment of State Government Land Rules, 2021”.
Partnership Act to be amended
The Punjab government has decided to revise the nearly 90-year-old fee structure under the Indian Partnership Act, 1932, to bring the same at par with other states.
The council of ministers approved the “Indian Partnership (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2021” for the revision of fee for various services as contained in Schedule-1 under Section 71 of the Act, such as registration of firms, updation of records, inspection and copying.
Amity University to become functional in Mohali
The stage is set for tabling, for enactment in the forthcoming budget session of the Vidhan Sabha, the Bill for establishment of a private self-financed Amity University, which is set to become functional at IT City, Mohali, from this year.
The ordinance for setting up of the university could not be promulgated earlier due to the imposition of the election code of conduct for the civic polls, thus necessitating the legislation of a Bill to be approved by the House, an official spokesperson said after a meeting of the state cabinet chaired by chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh.
Approved under the ‘Punjab Private University Policy-2010’, the university will come up over an area of 40.44 acres with an investment of ₹664.32 crore over five years. It will have an annual intake of 1,500-2,000 students.