CABINET SUB-COMMITTEE DIRECTS RURAL DEVELOPMENT & PANCHAYAT DEPT TO CONDUCT SOCIAL AUDIT OF PANCHAYATS BY DEC 2023

Report of social audit to be made public

Ask to make videography of bidding of panchayat lands mandatory

5-5 marla plots for SCs; plots allocated to 24,787 out of 35,303 applicants received till Dec 2021

Chandigarh, June 22

          The cabinet sub-committee comprising Punjab Finance Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema and Minister for NRI Affairs Mr. Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal on Thursday directed the Rural Development and Panchayat Department to conduct social audit of all panchayats of the state by December 2023, and made the report of this audit public also.

          The Cabinet Sub-Committee gave these directions during a meeting with Khet Mazdoor Union at Punjab Bhawan here. The cabinet sub-committee asked the department to make videography mandatory during the bidding of panchayat lands.

          Meanwhile, the cabinet sub-committee ordered to form a three-member committee under the leadership of Joint Development Commissioner Mr. Amit Kumar to investigate the matters related to the bidding of panchayat land for scheduled castes. This committee will submit its report within 15 days after investigating the matters related to Patiala and other districts. On this occasion, the Cabinet Sub-Committee also issued instructions to the ADCs Development of all the districts to resolve the pending complaints related to the Scheduled Castes at the earliest.

          During the discussion on the issues related to MGNREGA, Finance Minister Mr. Harpal Singh Cheema asked the department to send a copy of the rules related to MGNREGA to all the Sarpanches and panchayat members. He said that it should be ensured that no job card should be issued to a person below 18 years of age. He said that in the villages where the women Mates have not yet been appointed under Magnarega, the appointments should be made on priority. Commenting on the issue of increasing the daily wages of MGNREGA workers, Mr. Harpal Singh Cheema said that the Chief Minister of Punjab Mr. Bhagwant Mann has already written a letter to the Government of India in this regard. He assured that pressure will be further created on the central government in this regard.

          Regarding allotment of 5-5 marla plots to Scheduled Castes, the officials of the Rural Development and Panchayat Department apprised the Cabinet Sub-Committee that 35303 applications were received from across Punjab till December 2021, out of which plots have been allotted to 24787, and the remaining applications were under process.