Punjab: Cabinet scraps ‘Guardians of Governance’ scheme
The scheme was launched in the year 2017 by the Punjab government with the objective of monitoring schemes of few departments at the grass root level in an efficient and effective manner.
CHANDIGARH The Punjab Cabinet on Friday decided scrap the ‘Guardians of Governance’ scheme, a flagship programme of previous Captain Amarinder Singh government to hire ex-servicemen to monitor government programmes. “Considering the unsatisfactory performance of previous years in monitoring the assigned schemes of few departments, the Cabinet also decided to do away with the Guardians of Governance Scheme in the state in larger public interest,” said the government statement about the Cabinet decisions.
The scheme was launched in the year 2017 by the Punjab government with the objective of monitoring schemes of few departments at the grass root level in an efficient and effective manner.
“But, as the basic purpose of the scheme has been defeated, so the Guardians of Governance (GOG) scheme has been closed with immediate effect,” the official spokesperson said.
Under this scheme a monthly honorarium was paid to ex-servicemen to monitor various schemes of the government with having spaces in government buildings, staff and other provisions. The monthly honorarium that the GoGs was ₹11,000 for each jawan, ₹13,000 for supervisor, ₹25,000 for tehsil heads and ₹50,000 for the district heads.
Approval for UGS Scales
The Cabinet gave approval to implement University Grant Commission’s (UGC) pay scale as per seventh pay commission to the teachers of the universities, government colleges and government aided private colleges.
Divulging the details a spokesperson of the chief minister’s office said that acceding to a long pending demand of the teachers and equivalent cadres in universities and colleges in the state, the cabinet gave nod to revise their pay scales with effect from January 15, 2016, to be implemented from October 1, 2022. This decision will benefit all the teachers and other employees working in the equivalent cadre in state universities (including Panjab University), government colleges and government aided private colleges.
Likewise, in another significant decision aimed at overcoming the acute shortage of teaching faculty in the colleges, the cabinet also gave go ahead to allow government colleges for appointing visiting resource persons from amongst retired faculty of colleges and universities, who are qualified as per UGC/University norms or who have university approval as teacher in concerned subject area.
The visiting resource persons will be hired from amongst retired faculty members up to the age of 70 years and will be paid an honorarium per session, subject to the maximum of Rs. 30,000 per month. This arrangement will be made till the process of regular recruitment against the vacant posts is completed.
In another initiative aimed at improving the standards of higher education, the cabinet also gave approval to enhance the remunerations of the Guest faculty working in the Government Colleges of state to a minimum of ₹33,600 per month for both qualified and unqualified teachers.
They will be entitled to enhancement in their remuneration based on length of service and slabs as provided in the notification. It has also been mandated that all unqualified Guest and part-time faculty working in the government colleges of the state must meet the UGC requirements within two years of the notification failing which they will not be entitled to any enhancement in remuneration.
Cabinet approved the creation, fixation of pay scales and filling up of 1020 posts at the upcoming Sant Attar Singh State Institute of Medical Sciences, Mastuana Sahib, Sangrur. These 1020 posts include 193 posts of faculty, 427 of paramedical staff and 400 other posts. Once the institute is functional at Sangrur, 100 seats will be available in it for the MBBS course due to which these posts have been created to provide quality medical education to youth.