Chandigarh August 11:
The Cabinet today approved the setting up of PUNMEDIA society in the state Information & Public Relations department.
A decision to this effect was taken here at a meeting of the Cabinet chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal this evening. Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the Punjab government said that with the creation of PUNMEDIA as a society, all the advertisements being issued by the Department would henceforth be issued through the PUNMEDIA Society, besides all the printing and publication jobs of PR department which were presently being out sourced to the Controller, Printing and Stationery in future be entrusted to the PUNMEDIA.
The Cabinet gave ex-post-facto approval for exemption of VAT to Ek Onkar Charitable Trust Seechewal for the purchases being made by them for the service of community. This trust was engaged in providing education to poor and needy, free community kitchen and doing benevolent work with the financial help of people. This exemption would cost the State exchequer to the tune of Rs.11 lacs approximately.
The Cabinet also approved to rationalize entry tax on various items with a view to protect the local industry by increasing the rate of entry tax from 4% to 5% on yarn, transformers, vanaspati etc. This was necessitated due to change in the slab of VAT from 4% to 5%. Similarly, to protect the local industry, the Cabinet approved to levy entry tax on some of the new items namely electric motor, industrial acids and iron & steel material used for industrial and residential construction purposes.
The Cabinet also gave approval to fill the vacancies of six Professors, four Readers and 21 Lecturers in different departments of Government Ayurvedic College, Patiala through direct recruitment instead of contract basis by taking these posts out of the purview of the Punjab Public Service Commission. The Cabinet also gave nod to grant status of the Cabinet Minister to Sardarni Joginder Kaur Tohra wife of Late Panth Rattan S. Gurcharan Singh Tohra, former President of S.G.P.C. and Ex. M.P.
In the light of the provisions of Punjab Police Act, 2007 and the notification issued under section 4 (d) of the said Act, the Cabinet approved to amend the Punjab Police Services Rules 1959. The Cabinet also gave ex-post-facto approval to include Kartarpur and Adampur sub divisions in the Police District Jalandhar (Rural) in addition to Nakodar, Shahkot and Phillaur.
The Cabinet also gave approval for the provision of funds to the panchayats for the purchase land for making play grounds and Janjghar in villages in the discretionary grants of Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, cabinet Ministers and Chief Parliamentary Secretaries. The Cabinet also approved the recommendations of the Punjab Governance Reforms Commission for simplification of procedure for births & deaths registration in rural areas thereby transferring this work from Panchayat Secretaries to Multipurpose Health Worker (female).
The Cabinet also approved the creation of 49 posts of teaching staff as per the norms of the Medical Council of India (MCI) and to revive 56 posts sanctioned posts of teaching faculty under direct quota in the department of Medical Education & Research besides, 82 posts of Junior Residents and 19 posts of Senior Residents would also be created as per the MCI norms.
To ensure smooth functioning of the Fard Kendras across the state, the Cabinet also approved the proposal of Revenue Department for the recruitment of 922 Fard Kendra Executives initially on the contract basis for a period of two years. The Cabinet also approved to recruit 101 clerks in the Punjab Civil Secretariat. The Cabinet also gave go ahead to formulate a policy for the regularization of the unauthorized/ unplanned colonies in the different cities across the State.
The Cabinet also gave approval for the amendment in the Punjab Scheduled Castes Land Development and Finance Corporation Act, 1970 and the Punjab Backward Classes Land Development and Finance Corporation Act, 1976 to enable the appointment of one of the Directors as Vice-Chairman. The Cabinet also approved the draft of The Punjab (Institutions and Other Buildings) Tax Act, 2010. Likewise, the Cabinet also gave approval to amend the Pepsu Townships Development Board Act, 1954