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Punjab cabinet nod to interest-free loan for Bathinda refinery
Capt had earlier smelt a ‘scam’: Approves ordinance to regularise all unauthorised constructions till March 31, 2018, withdraws it later in view of poll code in Shahkot.
The Punjab cabinet on Tuesday gave in-principle nod for interest-free loan to the Guru Gobind Singh refinery at Bathinda in a meeting chaired by Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh.
The concession was promised by the previous government as interest-free loan of Rs 250 crore per annum for the first five years amounting to Rs 1,250 crore from the date of commercial production. The refinery was commissioned in 2012.
The cabinet decided to allow a one-time adjustment of interest-free loan of Rs 1,240 crore payable to the refinery against deferred central sales tax collected by the refinery.
Finance minister Manpreet Badal, while briefing the media, said the modalities and financial implications of the move will be worked out by the industry and finance departments, which will submit their recommendations, along with the financial implications at the next cabinet meeting, scheduled for May 15.
When in opposition, Amarinder had said his party was against undue concessions being planned by the SAD-BJP government for the Bathinda refinery at a time when the project was nearing completion. “It smacks of the biggest-ever scam perpetrated in the history of Punjab and simply amounts to loot of the state exchequer,” he had said as Punjab Congress chief. He had also declared to cancel the concessions on coming to power saying they did not “justify the gains in terms of jobs and revenue” to the state.
Punjab’s biggest foreign direct investment, the refinery is a joint venture by the HPCL-Mittal Energy Ltd (HMEL). It had sought relief on grounds of being located at a great distance from sea ports, which would lead to increase in cost of crude oil and its marketing and huge loans taken from financial institutions.
The cabinet also approved extension of the revised agreement with Quarkcity India Pvt Ltd for a further period of seven years.
Manpreet said its extension from November 3, 2023 to November 2, 2030, is in line with the original agreement that was signed in year 2003 to create state-of-the-art industrial and urban infrastructure in the state in two phases.
The revised agreement was signed for Phase-I of the project.
Withdraws ordinance
The cabinet approved a draft ordinance to regularise all unauthorised constructions, which had come up till March 31, 2018 to “curb the mushrooming of unplanned and haphazard constructions across the state”.
It was later withdrawn in view of the election code of conduct for Shahkot bypoll.
An earlier press statement of the government said ‘The Punjab one-time voluntary disclosure and settlement of violations of the Building Ordinance-2018’ is aimed at regularising the constructions in larger public interest, subject to the condition that these buildings fulfil the prescribed fire, parking and safety standards.
Other decisions:
Jobs to kin of Mosul victims
The cabinet also gave its approval to provide financial assistance and grant employment, on compassionate grounds, to the next of kin of the persons killed in Mosul in Iraq. One dependent family member of each victim will be given job, as per their educational qualification and government’s policy, besides ex-gratia amount of Rs 5 lakh. It had also decided to continue with the monthly pension of Rs 20,000 being paid to the family members from the CM’s Relief Fund till the time the jobs are provided.
The CM kickstarted the cabinet meeting by welcoming the newly-appointed ministers,said an official spokesperson, adding that Aruna Choudhary could not turn up as she was out of town.
Posts of staff nurses
To deal with shortage of staff nurses in the government medical colleges and hospitals across the state, the cabinet decided to fill the staff nurses posts on contract basis in the medical education and research department through relaxation in the instructions issued by the personnel department on April 24, 2017, as per which a complete ban had been imposed on future contractual appointments against regular posts.
Extension to health scheme
In another decision, the cabinet gave ex-post facto approval to extend Bhagat Puran Singh Sehat Bima Yojana (BPSSBY) till October 31, 2018. The decision to extend the scheme, which provides for cashless health insurance cover to blue card holder families, J-form holder farmers, small traders and construction workers, is aligned with the central government’s budget announcement to launch National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS) from October, 2018 for providing health insurance upto Rs 5 lakh to the poor and vulnerable families listed in Socio- Economic Caste Census (SECC) 2011.
New tehsil, sub-tehsil created
The cabinet decided to create a new sub-tehsil at Chanarthal Kalan, covering 55 revenue villages. At present, it is a part of Fatehgarh Sahib tehsil. The sub-tehsil of Dinanagar will be upgraded to sub-division (tehsil) in Gurdaspur covering 240 revenue villages.
Pass percentage lowered
It also approved lowering of the pass percentage from 66.66% to 50% in criminal law and revenue law papers for vesting powers of executive magistrate and assistant collector or collector to IAS/PCS officers.
