PUNJAB CABINET APPROVES RECRUITMENT TO 26,454 POSTS LYING VACANT IN VARIOUS GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS

 

 

PUNJAB CABINET APPROVES RECRUITMENT TO 26,454 POSTS LYING VACANT IN VARIOUS GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS

 

· HOME AFFAIRS, SCHOOL EDUCATION, HEALTH, POWER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION AMONGST MAJOR DEPARTMENTS FOR RECRUITMENT DRIVE

 

Chandigarh, May 2: In a major decision to provide gainful employment opportunities to the youth looking for employment avenues, the Punjab Cabinet on Monday approved recruitment to 26,454 posts lying vacant in various government departments.

 

A decision to this effect was taken during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann here at CMO this morning.

 

According to a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office, these posts belong to Group A, B and C. Major Departments involved in this process will be Home Affairs, School Education, Health, Power and Technical Education. The Cabinet also directed the concerned Administrative Departments to ensure transparent, fair and time bound recruitment. It has also been decided that interviews would not be conducted for the recruitment for Group-C posts. This decision would go a long way in achieving the goal to provide employment. Besides, this step would also optimise the working of Government departments as they will start working with full Human Resource on hand and provide government jobs to the youth of the State on the other.

 

APPROVES AMENDMENT IN CLAUSE 3(1) OF ‘THE PUNJAB STATE LEGISLATURE MEMBERS (PENSION AND MEDICAL FACILITIES REGULATION) ACT, 1977’

 

In another landmark decision, the Cabinet also gave approval regarding amendment in Clause 3(1) of ‘The Punjab State Legislature Members (Pension and Medical Facilities Regulation) Act, 1977’ to give MLAs of Punjab Vidhan Sabha one pension (irrespective of number of terms served) at new rate of Rs. 60,000/- per month plus Dearness Allowance (as applicable to the pensioners of Punjab Government) instead of present provision according to which a member is being paid a pension of fifteen thousand rupees per mensem plus Dearness Allowance thereon (as admissible to the Punjab Government Pensioners) for the first term, and an additional pension of ten thousand rupees plus Dearness Allowance thereon (as admissible to the Punjab Government Pensioners) for every subsequent term. The Punjab Government will thus save around Rs. 19.53 crore annually after this amendment.

 

APPROVES AMNESTY SCHEME FROM MAY 6 TO AUGUST 5, 2022 FOR COLLECTING THE MOTOR VEHICLE TAX FROM COMMERCIAL VEHICLE OPERATORS

 

In a bid to give much needed relief to commercial vehicle operators, the Cabinet gave a go ahead to the State Transport Department’s Amnesty Scheme from May 6 to August 5, 2022 for collecting the motor vehicle tax from the commercial vehicle fine. However, the department would neither collect interest nor late fee while issuing the fitness certificate.

 

It may be recalled that the lockdown imposed due to COVID-19 badly impacted the transport sector across the state. Resultantly, several commercial vehicle operators could not deposit the Motor Vehicle Tax on time due to which fitness certificate could not be issued to these operators as the fitness certificate is issued to only those vehicles whose Motor Vehicle Tax is cleared/deposited in time by the operators.

 

CABINET APPRISED ABOUT BLENDING OF IMPORTED COAL IN THERMAL PLANTS

 

To overcome the shortage of domestic coal supply especially during the Paddy season, the Cabinet was apprised about the Ministry of Power, Government of India’s letter dated December 7, 2021 advising to use imported coal for blending purpose to the extent of 4% for the year FY 2022-23 and to take necessary steps immediately so as to arrange imported coal by May, 2022 i.e. before the onset of rainy season to avoid critical coal stocks, and build up required coal stocks.

 

Further, in view of the increased demand and consumption of electricity Ministry of Power, Government of India vide letter dated April 28, 2022 has instructed that the thermal power plants owned by State Gencos and IPPs must import the coal for blending purpose to meet the requirement at 10% of the total requirement and ensure continuous power supply in the respective States. The Ministry of Power has further instructed; to ensure minimum required coal stocks in power plants before onset of monsoon, it is necessary that placement of awards for importing coal for blending purpose is completed by May 31, 2022; All Gencos shall ensure delivery of 50% of allocated quantity by June 30, 2022, 40% by August 31, 2022 and remaining 10% by October 31, 2022; and States are also required to timely give clearances to IPPS, wherever required, for blending imported coal. Ministry of Power, Government of India has further communicated that the requirement for blending at 10% is 5.94 Lac MT for State owned thermal plants, 3.81 Lac MT for NPL and 6.50 Lac MT for TSPL.

 

It may be mentioned here that historically demand decreases substantially post Paddy Season and requirement of imported coal post-October will accordingly decline. Detailed calculation of the implication of use of imported coal from October 2022 to March 2023 would be placed before the Cabinet subsequently.

 

 

 

 

 

CABINET APPROVES TO ROLLOUT HOME DELIVERY OF ATTA UNDER NFSA FROM OCTOBER 1

 

· SERVICE TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN 3 PHASES AND ENTIRE STATE DIVIDED INTO 8 ZONES

 

· STATE GOVERNMENT TO BEAR ENTIRE COST OF GRINDING WHEAT INTO ATTA THUS SAVING NEARLY RS.170 CRORE OF BENEFICIARIES

 

 

 

Chandigarh, May 2: Fulfilling the commitment to deliver ration to the people at the doorsteps seamlessly, the Punjab Cabinet led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday gave approval to rollout home delivery service of Atta from 1st October and shall be implemented across the State in three phases.

 

Conceding the proposal of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs department to introduce home delivery of Atta under National Food Security Act (NFSA), the entire state has been divided into eight zones and the service shall commence in one zone in the first phase, in two zones in the second phase and in the remaining five zones in the last and third phase.

 

According to the spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office, the Government shall offer, to every beneficiary enrolled under NFSA, the option of home delivery of Atta. Any beneficiary, who wishes to physically collect his entitlement of wheat from a Fair Price Shop (FPS), shall have an option of OPT-OUT through a suitable IT intervention freely available to him. The delivery cycle of distribution shall now be changed from quarterly cycle to monthly cycle.

 

The Home Delivery Service shall introduce the concept of Mobile Fair Price Shops (MPS). The MPS shall be a transport vehicle, preferably fitted with GPS facility and cameras to live stream the handing over of Atta to the beneficiary. It shall mandatorily have the facility of weighing scales in order to satisfy the customer about the weight of the Atta before it is delivered. All mandatory requirements of biometric verification, handing over of printed weight slip to the beneficiary, etc. shall be provided by the MPS. All MPS licences shall be issued by the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs. An MPS shall enjoy a status similar to the ‘Fair Price Shop’ under the NFSA. Only MPS shall offer the facility of home delivery of Atta. FPS shall continue to offer the existing facility of delivery of wheat to the beneficiary, and the beneficiary will have to visit the FPS and physically collect the entitled quantity of wheat.

 

Portability between any MPS and FPS shall continue to be allowed. Where the beneficiary has chosen the facility of home delivery of Atta, it shall also automatically imply that the beneficiary has chosen an MPS as the favoured Fair Price Shop and the MPS shall then be tasked with the responsibility of delivering the allocated quantity of Atta at the doorstep of such a beneficiary.

 

Wherever Atta is being given to a beneficiary, the existing amount of Rs 2/Kg being charged from the beneficiary shall be collected by the MPS. For this purpose the MPS shall preferably collect the amount through digital payment mode. Only where the beneficiary does not have access to digital payments shall the MPS collect the payment in cash.

 

A Special Purpose Vehicle shall be formed by MARKFED to undertake all activities required to successfully offer the service of Home Delivery of Atta to the beneficiaries of NFSA.

 

The Cabinet also decided that the State Government shall bear the entire cost of grinding Wheat into Atta even though the guidelines framed under NFSA allowed the recovery of these grinding charges from the beneficiary. The new service is, therefore, expected to result in a saving of about Rs. 170 crore for the beneficiaries as regards their present expenditure on converting Wheat into Atta at the local atta chakki.

 

 

 

OKAYS RELIEF OF RS. 5400/- PER ACRE ASSUMING 50% LOSS TO COTTON CROP (2021) IN SRI MUKTSAR SAHIB

 

 

 

To extend financial relief to the farmers out of State Budget, the Cabinet also gave approval to provide relief of Rs. 5400/- per acre assuming 50% loss to the cotton crop in entire area in Sri Muktsar Sahib district. Resultantly, Rs.38.08 crore and Rs. 3.81 crore would be released to these affected farmers and farm labourers respectively out of state budget.

 

Pertinently, a relief to the tune of Rs. 4.74 crore to the farmers and of Rs.47.44 lakh to the farm labourers was disbursed in Sri Muktsar Sahib in lieu of loss of cotton crop in 2021 due to Pink ball worm attack.

 

 

 

APPROVES ANNUAL AND AUDIT REPORTS OF BOCWWB FOR 2015-16 AND 2016-17

 

 

 

The Cabinet also approves annual and audit reports for the year 2015-16 and 2016-17 of the Punjab Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (BOCWWB) besides allowing to present the same before the Punjab Vidhan Sabha in accordance with law.