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Punjab cabinet bars use of party symbols in panchayat polls
A decision to this effect was taken in the meeting of the council of ministers held here at the chief minister’s office (CMO) in Punjab Civil Secretariat I.
The Punjab cabinet on Thursday decided to amend section 12 of the Punjab Panchayat Election Rules 1994 thereby debarring the candidates to contest elections of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) on party symbols.
A decision to this effect was taken in the meeting of the council of ministers held here at the chief minister’s office (CMO) in Punjab Civil Secretariat I.
The AAP government had on August 10, 2023, dissolved all the gram panchayats, panchayat samitis and zila parishad under the Panchayati Raj Act, paving the way for the elections. Eventually, the notification was challenged in the Punjab and Haryana high court and was subsequently withdrawn by the government.
Disclosing this here on Thursday, a CMO spokesperson said that the cabinet observed that contesting elections on party symbols leads to many untoward incidents.
An official statement said the Cabinet observed that contesting elections on party symbols leads to many unwanted incidents. Further, ‘political groupism’ in panchayats stalls the utilisation of funds and grants, leaving huge amounts of unused money which can be duly used to promote development in rural areas, the statement said.
“Earlier, sarpanch and panch elections could be fought on political party’s symbol. But the cabinet decided that now the upcoming panchayat polls will be contested without the symbol of political parties,” the spokesperson said after the meeting of the state cabinet held under the chairmanship of chief minister Bhagwant Mann.
“An amendment to Rule 12 of the Punjab Panchayat Election Rules, 1994 has been approved by the cabinet... Now, sarpanch and panch elections in the villages will not be held on political party’s symbol,” he said.
Nod to enhance PCS officer’s cadre strength
The cabinet also approved to enhance the strength of Punjab Civil Services (Executive Branch) cadres from existing 310 posts to 369 posts. This decision has been taken in view of the administrative requirements and increase in the number of sub-divisions and the creation of a new district. Pertinently, this review has been done after a period of more than eight years.
The cabinet also gave a nod for the construction of ponds along Ghaggar in Chandu village to recharge the groundwater.
The ponds can be filled up with the river Ghaggar during the flood times and through the canals during the normal times so as to utilise the water of the Punjab share judiciously.
The cabinet also gave the go-ahead for the creation of a sessions division, Malerkotla, thereby creating 36 new posts including the post of district and sessions judge.
Slain DSP’s wife to be appointed naib-tehsildar
In a humanitarian gesture, the cabinet also gave the green signal to give a government job to the wife of a DSP, who had died while performing duty. As per the decision, Rupinder Kaur, wife of late DSP Sandeep Singh, will be appointed as naib tehsildar on compassionate grounds. The PPS officer died in a road accident on the intervening night of April 5-6, 2024, while on duty during elections.
The cabinet also gave consent for amending Punjab Good and Services Tax Act, 2017 to define input service distributors and manner of distribution of credit by them, to take extra neutral alcohol used in manufacture of alcoholic liquor for human consumption out of purview of state GST, to allow an authorised representative for appearing on behalf of the summoned person before the proper authority and to limit period for issuing demand notices and orders by reducing it to 42 months in respect of demands from the Financial Year 2024-25 onwards.
