Eyeing polls, Punjab to regularise services of 36,000 employees
Darpan News Desk IANS, 09 Nov, 2021 11:28 AM
Chandigarh, Nov 9 (IANS) In a major decision to regularise the services of nearly 36,000 employees ahead of the Assembly elections, the Punjab Cabinet on Tuesday approved the Punjab Protection and Regularisation of Contractual Employees Bill, 2021 to be introduced in the forthcoming Vidhan Sabha session for enactment.
This decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Charanjit Channi here.
A spokesperson for the Chief Minister's Office said with this decision the services of nearly 36,000 employees with more than 10 years of service would be regularised.
Likewise, the Cabinet also gave approval for the extra creation of deemed posts.
The provisions of reservation policy would be followed during the regularisation process of these employees. However, this decision of regularisation would not be a binding on the boards and corporations, the spokesperson added.
Keeping in view the fears owing to the strict provisions incorporated in the Punjab Contract Farming Act like imprisonment, monetary penalties and other rigorous punishments, the Cabinet decided to repeal the Act in the larger interest of the farmers.
It also gave approval to amend Punjab Agricultural Produce Markets Act of 1961 to revoke the anti-farmer provisions.
The time-tested Punjab Agricultural Produce Markets Act is a legislative measure enacted by the state government to facilitate the development of market infrastructure, to provide better facilities and amenities to farmers to sell their agricultural produce, besides to regulate the marketing of agricultural produce for the elimination of malpractices prevalent in the trade.
In an apparent embarrassment for the ruling Congress in Punjab, its legislator Joginder Pal and his security men allegedly assaulted a youth who questioned him about the work done in the constituency in nearly five years. A video of the incident has gone viral on social media.
The fresh travel advisory says that fully-vaccinated travellers coming from a country with which India has arrangements for mutual acceptance of WHO approved Covid-19 vaccines shall be allowed to leave the airport after producing a negative RT-PCR test report, and will not have to undergo home quarantine and testing.
Four more persons, including a BJP leader who was seen inside the SUV that mowed down protesting farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri on October 3, have been arrested.
Referring to the killing on October 15 of a Dalit labourer from Tarn Taran in Punjab, and latest disclosures in the media, the Deputy Chief Minister, who also holds the Home portfolio, promised complete justice, saying the government will reach to the bottom of the case and expose the conspirators behind the incident.
The activists entered the AIIMS premises raising slogans for immediate action against the students who performed the Ramlila skit. They tried to break into the AIIMS hostel, but were stopped by the police who took them outside the AIIMS premises.
Two gold bars, of 3 kg each, of 24 carat purity, and worth Rs 2.96 crore, were concealed in two rechargeable lights. The officials, who searched the baggage of a passenger arriving from Dubai by flight EK 524, found the two emergency lights. On suspicion, they opened the lights and found the bars kept inside the rechargeable batteries.
