Punjab to offer 1.13 lakh jobs, double social security pensions

Jaswinder Singh Baidwan

Akhran da mureed
Staff member
The cash registers for the Punjab Government may not be ringing, but the Akali-BJP government, in a damage-control mode after protests by farmers and Sikh activists, has offered a slew of sops in a bid to change the course of politics towards development.
By offering jobs to over 1.13 lakh youth, doubling the social security pension, reducing value added tax (VAT) on certain items, introducing a scheme of free pilgrimage to Sikhs and Hindus, increasing the remuneration of nambardars, giving cash subsidy to cane growers and introducing medical/accidental and life insurance to farmers, traders and atta-dal scheme beneficiaries, the government will be spending an additional Rs 850 crore annually.
These schemes were approved by the Cabinet, which met under Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, here this afternoon. Three BJP ministers — Anil Joshi, Surjit Kumar Jiyani and Bhagat Chunni Lal — were conspicuous by their absence.
Refusing to be drawn into any controversy over how the revenue for these additional sops would be generated and whether these sops were announced in preparation for the next Assembly elections, Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal said the government had enough funds for development and the sops announced now were part of the Akali Dal manifesto. However, considering the lower than targeted revenue growth in Punjab (10% as against the projected target of 15%), it would be an uphill task for the government to generate enough resources to
fulfill the new promises announced today. The tone and tenor of the decisions taken by the Cabinet were, however, political, keeping an eye on the next Assembly elections due in early 2017. With the desecration of Guru Granth Sahib leading to mass protests and shaking the Panthic vote base of the Akali Dal, the Cabinet today gave green signal to introduce a new section 295 AA in the Indian Penal Code, 1860, which would provide life imprisonment (as against three years earlier) to offenders committing sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib.
“This amendment was necessitated as the existing provisions of the said Act in Section 295, 295A and 296 though dealt with these matters, but do not provide deterrent punishment for such unfortunate incidents related to sacrilege,” Sukhbir Badal, who also holds the portfolio of Home minister said.
The cabinet also approved giving government jobs to the son of Krishan Bhagwan Singh of Behabalpur village and Jagdeep Singh, brother of Gurjit Singh of Sarawan village in Faridkot district, for the posts of senior Lab attendant in the education department on compassionate grounds. Both Krishan Bhagwan Singh and Gurjit Singh were killed in police firing during a protest against the incidents of desecration of Guru Granth Sahib on October 14.
The social security pensions will now again be distributed by panchayats, and not through banks as is the practice now. This would mean that the elected sarpanches once again can “influence” over the beneficiaries and can use this to woo voters for the ruling party.
The Cabinet directed the state government to complete the process of recruitment on 1,13,766 vacant posts, within a year. The major departments in which these posts would be filled are: 30,000 in school education, 39,821 in power sector, 5,301 in health department, 3,500 in agriculture, 4,566 in cooperation department, 2,198 in higher education, 2,072 in irrigation, 2,852 in PWD (B&R), 2,628 in revenue, 3,952 in transport and 1,584 in water supply and sanitation departments.
 

Ginny

VIP
Sometimes menu b lagda ehna vote bank hun 2017 ch eve karke e banani a
But we can only do prepare urself je aa gian jobs youth nu chance lain lainpehla tyaar rehna cahida :y
 
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