With a view to imparting high quality technical education at par with international standards to the students in the state, the Punjab Cabinet today approved to replace the ordinance regarding establishment of Maharaja Ranjit Singh State Technical University, Bathinda into bill so as to introduce it in the forth coming session of Punjab Vidhan Sabha for its conversion into an Act.This decision was taken in the meeting of Council of Ministers chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal this evening.
Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that the upcoming technical university would have territorial jurisdiction over district of Bathinda, Barnala, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ferozepur, Mansa, Moga, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Patiala and Sangrur besides other regions outside the state. This university would be instrumental in imparting technical education far more efficaciously to the students of the Malwa region.In order the check the further spreading of cancer disease and rising tendencies towards drugs besides the treatment and rehabilitation of such patients suffering from the disease and also for the up-gradation of building, machinery and equipment etc. for pooling their financial resources, the Cabinet also gave a go ahead to introduce a bill related to making an amendment in section 6 of the Punjab State Cancer & Drug Addiction Treatment Infrastructure Fund Act, 2013 in the coming session of Punjab Vidhan Sabha. This move was aimed at ensuring that the cess amount was also levied on those properties which were allotted (at present it was paid only when a property was sold or auctioned) and was paid by the bidder and not by the collecting agency (Punjab Housing & Urban Development Department etc.) and the amount, thus collected would be fully credited in the Cancer Fund of Health & Family Welfare department.
Likewise, the Punjab Cabinet also gave approval to introduce the Punjab Affiliated Colleges (Security of Service) Amendment Bill-2014 in the forthcoming session of Punjab Vidhan Sabha to fix the term of chairman and members of the Educational Tribunal as three years or till the attaining of age of sixty five years, whichever was earlier.With an objective to further expand quality higher education infrastructure through private institutions, the Punjab Cabinet has approved to replace the Sant Baba Bhag Singh University ordinance, 2014 into bill for presenting in the coming session of Punjab Vidhan Sabha for its enactment to pave a way for setting up private self-financed university ‘Sant Baba Bhag Singh University’ run by the Sant Baba Bhag Singh Charitable Society village Khayla in Jalandhar district.
The Cabinet also gave approval to replace two ordinances into bills related to amending the Punjab Municipal Act, 1911 and the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976 for its introduction in the ensuing session of Punjab Vidhan Sabha for its enactment.The Cabinet also gave approval to the Housing & Urban Development to rationalize the collection of Institutional Tax from institutions and buildings falling outside the municipal limits as per the parameters fixed by the Punjab & Haryana High Court.With the objective of bringing unauthorized colonies and plots/buildings therein, to the fold of planning frame work besides providing basic facilities to the residents of these unauthorized colonies across the state, the Cabinet also gave nod to replace the Punjab Laws (Special Provisions) Ordinance, 2014 into bill so that it could be placed before the coming session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha for its conversion into Act.
The Cabinet also approved that the basic pay to be paid to the new employees recruited by the state would not be applicable to the Specialists doctors recruited by the State Health department in view of the shortage of such doctors in the government hospitals and their availability in the market.At the outset, the Cabinet expressed profound grief and anguish over the tragic shootout incident in Peshawar (Pakistan) on December 16, 2014 in which 141 innocent school students and staff were brutally killed. The Cabinet also observed two minutes silence and prayed to the Almighty to give strength and courage to bear this huge loss in this hour of crisis and grant peace to the departed souls.