Uttarakhand bans UP govt construction agency, will review works done - Hindustan Times
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Uttarakhand bans UP govt construction agency, will review works done

Hindustan Times | By, Dehradun
May 11, 2017 07:56 PM IST

The Uttarakhand government Thursday imposed a ban on Uttar Pradesh Rajkiya Nirman Nigam (UPRNN), citing irregularities on part of the Uttar Pradesh government undertaking, legally preventing it from taking up any project in the state in future

The Uttarakhand government Thursday imposed a ban on Uttar Pradesh Rajkiya Nirman Nigam (UPRNN), citing irregularities on part of the Uttar Pradesh government undertaking, legally preventing it from taking up any project in the state in future. A decision to this effect was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat here.

Construction of Doon University was executed by UP Rajkiya Nirman Nigam.(HT Photo.)
Construction of Doon University was executed by UP Rajkiya Nirman Nigam.(HT Photo.)

“A technical and financial assessment of construction works taken up by UPRNN in the past would also be carried out jointly by the state planning department and an independent agency. If irregularities are found, suitable action will be taken,” state urban development minister Madan Kaushik said after the cabinet meeting.

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Kushik said the decision to ban UPRNN was taken owing to the general impression about the work by construction agency not being good and also due to irregularities in works carried out by it.

Uttarakhand government, after its creation in 2000, kept assigning construction works to the UPRNN as the hill state had no agency in place to take up such projects.

Among other decisions, the cabinet also approved a proposal to withdraw 1% cess on petrol. “Following the withdrawal of cess, petrol would be cheaper by about 50 paise. The fuel’s rate then would be at par with that in UP,” Kaushik said.

At present, residents in the border areas often cross over to UP to buy petrol owing to slightly lower prices there.

The cabinet also approved a proposal to grant full salary for the third year to the graduates from state-run medical colleges pursing specialty courses elsewhere.

“Till now, they were entitled to salaries only for two academic years while pursuing the three-year higher medical courses,” Kaushik said and added that they would be entitled to the facility “on condition” that they would serve in the state at least for five years after completing their courses.

“Such a facility is being provided to doctors in other states,” he added.

The cabinet also approved to constitute a sub-committee that would submit a report in connection with setting up of a proposed management board for upkeep of hydropower projects on the Ganga and its tributaries. “It is mandatory to set up such a board as per the Uttar Pradesh Reorganisation Act, for which the high court had also recently issued directions to the Centre,” Kaushik said. Cabinet ministers Prakash Pant, Harak Singh Rawat and Subodh Uniyal would be the members of the panel, which would submit its report within a week.

Kaushik said that electronic weighing machines would be installed at fair price shops, which would facilitate “transparent transaction” of subsidised ration. “As many as 92000 such machines would be installed at all the points of sale across the state by July this year,” he added.

The cabinet also cleared a plan proposing relaxation in rules relating to the state government Employees Provident Fund. “Thanks to the soon-to-be revised rules, the employees would be able to easily withdraw their provident fund for family needs such as children’s education or marriage,” the minister said.

The cabinet also cleared a plan under which the state government would accept the self assessment by traders of their returns relating to various taxes pending for the past three years. “The relaxation would be granted so that proposed Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime could be introduced in the state with a clean slate,” chief secretary S Ramaswamy said. The GST regime is likely to be introduced across the country from July 1.

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