IAF Halwara station to have international civil terminal
The council of minister on Monday approved a new international civil terminal at the Indian Air Force (IAF) station at Halwara in Ludhiana. The terminal will be operational after getting clearances from centre. Chief minister Amarinder Singh chaired the cabinet meeting.
The cabinet gave the go-ahead for signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for developing the terminal, which will be a joint venture between the AAI and the state government, having stakes in the ratio of 51% and 49%. The government will give 135.54 acres of land as its equity for the project.
MERGER OF DIST CO-OP BANKS
It was also decided to merge 20 district cooperative banks with Punjab State Cooperative Bank (PSCB), amove aimed at to strengthen the state’s rural credit system. A government spokesperson said the decision was taken as per the guidelines of Reserve Bank of India, which says all district cooperative banks should have a minimum 9% capital adequacy ratio.
“At present, the district banks were adhering to the required CRAR of 9% but there is hardly any space for majority of these banks to increase their business and profitability. Without further capital induction, the CRAR stipulation given by the RBI cannot be met,” said the spokesman, justifying the government decision.
It is said that to meet the CRAR stipulation of the cooperative banks, the state government had to invest a capital of ₹307 crore and with this merger, the entire state cooperative bank set up will emerge as a financially stronger entity. With the merger, the bank’s CRAR with touch the range of 13-14%.
There are 9-lakh farmers who have kisan credit cards of the cooperative banks in the state and are dependent on credit in the prevalent cooperative structure. Top officials say the merger will increase regular flow of credit to the farmers, curtail the cost of computerisation and other administrative expenses and help better tax compliance.
WATER RESOURCES BILL
A clearance was given to the Punjab Water Resources (Management and Regulation) Bill-2018, aimed at ensuring judicious, equitable and sustainable utilisation of the state’s water resources. After the Bill is passed in the Vidhan Sabha, a state-level body — Punjab Water Regulation and Development Authority (PWRDA) — will be created, which will be empowered to take measures for conservation and management of the water resources. The authority will also be empowered to decide tariffs for drinking, domestic, commercial or industrial use. An advisory committee will assist the regulatory body.
ESI POSTS TO BE FILLED
An approval was given for filling up of 185 vacant posts of doctors and paramedics at ESI hospitals and dispensaries. The recruitment as per the council of minister will ensure healthcare services to 12.92 lakh insured persons covered under the Employees State Insurance (ESI) scheme. A total of 55 posts of doctors and 130 of paramedics will be filled on contract basis.
ONE-TIME SETTLEMENT FOR DEFAULTERS
A one-time settlement policy for the defaulters of Punjab State Industrial Development Corporation and Punjab Financial Corporation (PFC) to settle their dues was also approved.
The cabinet agreed to finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal’s suggestion to give a last chance to the defaulters for the settlement of their dues.