Farmers Movement Archive

Cabinet nod to jobs for 104 kin of farmers who died during stir

The Punjab cabinet on Thursday gave ex-post facto approval for jobs to 104 legal heirs of farmers/farm labourers who died during the ongoing agitation against the Centre’s farm laws. Chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh directed departments concerned to give any further relaxations needed to ensure that the next of kin of all such protestors are provided employment. The cabinet earlier authorised the CM to make any further changes in rules, while approving relaxations to candidates who were not covered under the Punjab government policy dated November 21, 2002, relating to compassionate appointments. With the cabinet decision, the deceased farmers’/labourers’ mother, father, married brother, married sister, married daughter, daughter-in-law, grandson, granddaughter, next of kin, as recommended by the deputy commissioner concerned, would be eligible for employment as a one-time measure. ₹1,500 crore bonanza for govt employeesThe cabinet also announced additional ₹1,500 crore bonanza for government employees and pensioners by deciding to hike their basic pay by a minimum of 15% over and above the basic pay as on December 31, 2015, in addition to restoration of certain allowances. With this, the average increase in salary/pension per employee has gone up to ₹1.05 lakh per annum, from the earlier ₹79,250 per year that they were getting following the government’s decision to accept the recommendations of the 6th Pay Commission with effect from July 1, 2021, which had earlier led to a ₹4,700 crore bonanza for the employees, said a government spokesperson. The decision was taken in the cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh. The hike in the basic pay will put additional burden ₹42,673 crore per annum on the state exchequer. The CM said all operational allowances have not only been retained but also doubled in absolute terms over what they were being paid earlier, with the cabinet decision to restore common allowances, such as fixed medical allowance, mobile allowance, conveyance allowance and city compensatory allowance (CCA), at the revised rates (2.59 X 0.8), with effect from July 1, 2021. The cabinet also approved treating of non-practicing allowance (NPA) admissible to doctors at the rate of 20% of revised basic pay as pay, with secretariat pay for employees (working in Punjab civil secretariat) to be doubled with effect from July 1, 2021, and also to be treated as pay. Further, employees covered under the National Pension Scheme have now been given cover under family pension in case of death-in-harness, with the adoption of family pension guidelines dated 05.05.2009 and subsequent linked instructions dated 04.09.2019 with suitable state government modifications in respect of employees covered under new pension scheme as applicable to similarly placed employees in Government of India, as per the provisions under the Punjab Civil Services Rules- Volume II. The decisions taken by the cabinet are based on the recommendations of the committee of the group of ministers, headed by local government minister Brahm Mohindra. ‘Mera Kaam Mera Maan’ scheme launched The cabinet gave nod to a new scheme – “Mera Kaam Mera Maan” (MKMM), to facilitate unemployed youth in improving their skills and enhancing their employability through free short-term skill training.The scheme provides employment assistance allowance of ₹2,500 per month for 12 months from the start of the training course under the short-term skill training programmes in the Punjab Skill Development Mission training centres. Special assembly session on Sept 3 The Punjab cabinet on Thursday decided to summon a one-day special session of the 15th Punjab Vidhan Sabha on September 3 for commemoration of the historic 400th Parkash Purb of Guru Teg Bahadur. The cabinet, at a meeting chaired by chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, approved recommending to the governor summoning of the 15th session of the House under Article 174 (1) of the Constitution of India. A spokesperson of the chief minister’s office said the session would start with obituary references at 10am, followed by celebration of the 400th birth anniversary of Guru Teg Bahadur at 11am. The CM said he will invite Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu, Punjab governor VP Singh Badnore and former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh as guests at the special session. Other decisions Minimum qualification for gram sewaks raised from matric to graduation Nod to continuation of the services of 497 veterinary pharmacists and 498 Class 4/safai sewaks for two years Certain categories of industries allowed to install paddy straw fired boilers to claim fiscal incentivesNod to loan waiver up to ₹50,000 from Punjab Scheduled Castes Land Development and Finance Corporation and Punjab Backward Classes Land Development and Finance Corporation

Hindustan Times

27-08-2021

Chandigarh