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Punjab cabinet gives nod to regularising services of 14,417 contractual employees
The Punjab cabinet on Tuesday decided to regularise the services of 14,417 ad hoc and contractual employees of various departments in the state.
Chandigarh
The Punjab cabinet on Tuesday decided to regularise the services of 14,417 ad hoc and contractual employees of various departments in the state.
A decision was taken by the state cabinet at a meeting chaired by chief minister Bhagwant Mann, who later shared the details with reporters at a press conference. The CM said the services of 13,000 employees have already been regularised. The employees who have worked on ad hoc, contractual, daily wages, work charged or temporary basis for a continuous period of minimum 10 years till the issuance of present policy will be regularised, according to an official release.
Asked about the regularisation of outsourcing employees, the CM said they would be first taken on contract.
Mann said the cabinet granted approval to a committee of ministers under finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema, thereby setting in motion the process for finalisation of the standard operating procedure (SOP) for implementation of the old pension scheme in the state. The state government has already constituted a committee headed by the chief secretary to draft the SOP.
Punjabi mandatory on signboards
Another decision was to approve an amendment in the Punjab Shops and Commercial Establishments Rules, 1958, making it mandatory for every establishment to display its name on the board in Gurmukhi script. The spokesman said that other languages can also be used to display name on the board in addition to Gurmukhi script. Those establishments, who have not done so far, will have to do so within six months of these rules coming into force. “Whoever contravenes the new provisions shall be punishable with fine not exceeding ₹1,000 for first offence and ₹2,000 for every subsequent offence,” it said. The cabinet also gave nod to simplify the process of issuing change of land use (CLU) within 45 days.
Nod to tourism policy
The cabinet also gave a green signal to the Punjab Adventure Tourism Policy for attracting private investment. The policy provides a transparent mechanism for approval of adventure tourism projects, which will be cleared by an empowered committee chaired by the chief minister. A single-window system and ease of inter-departmental coordination at various levels has been suitably incorporated in it.
“As per the policy, permissions to commence adventure sports in the state will initially be given to the recognized National Adventure Sport Federations as they are best equipped to handle the safety issues,” Mann said. Also, the Punjab Water Tourism Policy was approved for attracting private investment near water bodies in the state. The policy provides a transparent mechanism for approval of water tourism projects and focuses on long-term economic gain.
It also gave a go ahead to extend reservation of 5% to riots/terrorism victims in allotment of plots/houses by urban estates/improvement trusts/ Pepsu Township Development Board and others without any financial concession. The policy had expired on December 31, 2021, but with this decision has now been extended up to December 31, 2026.
Foodgrains transportation, labour policies
The cabinet also approved “The Punjab Food grains Transportation Policy 2023” for the transportation and “The Punjab Food grains Labour and Cartage Policy 2023” for the labour and cartage of foodgrains in the state. Mann said that the state government has sought an upward revision of 25% in wage of labours from the Food Corporation of India, but the agency increased it by only 20%. The state government will spend ₹7 crore to fund the 5% gap, he added.
