Announcing a major Diwali bonanza, the Punjab government today regularised the services of its over 30,000 employees working on contract/adhoc/daily-wages/temporary/work-charged basis in various government departments/boards/corporations and societies in the state. The land mark decision, which will also impact the future of thousands of other employees working on contract through private outsourcing agencies or contractors, as they would now become contract employees of the state government. This decision comes into force with immediate effect.A decision to this effect was taken during the Cabinet meeting chaired by the Punjab Chief Minister S. Parkash Singh Badal here at Punjab Bhawan this afternoon.Disclosing this here today, a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that a proposal to this effect was cleared yesterday at a meeting of the Cabinet Sub Committee chaired by the Deputy Chief Minister Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal.
It may be recalled that the last decision on regularisation of employees was also taken during the SAD-BJP government in its last tenure when more than 45,000 contract employees were absorbed as regular members of the government staff. Whereas, no employees were regularised during the 2002-2007 tenure of the Congress government headed by Captain Amarinder Singh. On the contrary, the Amarinder government had slapped a blanket ban on fresh recruitments and regularisations. Even the posts falling vacant due to retiring employees were scrapped or allowed to lapse so that they could not be filled even at future date. However, the SAD-BJP government filled those posts with contractual employees who have now been regularised with today’s decision.
Both the CM and the Deputy CM were of the view that these contractual employees had come to the aid of the government when the government required their services at a short notice and had been working diligently and conscientiously since then. They have gained precious experience on the jobs and this experience cannot be allowed to go in vain. The state owes it to the families of thee employees to absorb them now as regular and proud members of the government, added the spokesperson.The services of Group A, B & C employees working on contract/adhoc/daily-wages/temporary/work-charged basis in various government departments/boards/corporations and societies, who have completed three years of continuous service, fulfilled educational qualifications and age limit at the time of initial appointment and were recruited in a transparent manner would be regularized in the concerned departments, boards, corporations and societies etc. The existing pay of these employees would be protected and continue to draw this salary for three years. Another category of Group-D employees, who have already completed three years of service and working on contract/adhoc/daily-wages/temporary/work-charged basis in various government departments/boards/corporations and societies and fulfilled the requisite criteria at the time of initial appointment, would also be regularized in the concerned departments, boards, corporations and societies etc. The pay of these employees would also be protected and continue to draw the same salary for three years.In another significant decision, the Cabinet also decided to “adopt” all the employees who have been taken through private outsourcing agencies or contractors. These employees will no longer be on contract with the private contractors but would be shifted straightaway to a direct arrangement with the government. “They now become government’s own contractual employees and will be eligible to benefits which were normally available to other contract employees in their respective categories, mentioned the spokesperson.”The Cabinet also directed the Chief Secretary to ensure that all the cases related to employment on compassionate grounds in all departments should be decided and disposed off on priority within a period of three weeks.
In another land-mark decision, the Cabinet further decided that the entire backlog of posts related to all reserved categories which included scheduled castes, backward classes, physically handicapped should be immediately filled up through a special recruitment drive. The Chief Minister also intervened to ensure that the employees were given benefits of the services they have already put in and must not be taken in as fresh recruits. They will be given pay protection and will be allowed to draw pay equivalent to the last pay drawn by them. In a major goodwill gesture and as an expression of honour and gratitude, the Punjab Cabinet today formally approved the special grant-in-aid of Rs.50 lac to be given to the war widows or their legal heirs, of the valiant soldiers who had laid down their lives in the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars and 1962 Indo-China war.Pertinently to mention here that the said policy had been announced way back in 1975 and over 1500 war-widows who had applied in time had been allotted up to 10 acres of rural agricultural land or cash equivalent in lieu of land at the rate notified from time to time. However, there were nearly 100 cases in which the applicants, for one reason or another, failed to apply within the stipulated cut-off date. Above 100 such cases had applied till the extended cut-off date January 4, 2010.
It may be recalled that the residual agricultural land available for allotment was either locked up in litigation or in unauthorized possession, which rendered it practically impossible for the war-widow allottees to take over possession of the land. Therefore, keeping in view the demands of war-widows and their representatives, the state Cabinet had decided to honour the remaining duly verified and deserving cases of war widows with the cash grant. The grant would be payable in three half yearly instalments of Rs.20 lac, Rs.15 lac and Rs.15 lac.The Cabinet also gave nod to amend Fiscal Incentives for Industrial Promotion (Revised)-2013 thereby now considering the incentives like exemption from Mandi Fee/Rural Development Fee (RDF) already given to the established/under construction Basmati Processing Units from December 2013 to September 2015, as a part of basket of incentives, the sum total of which should not exceed the approved fixed Capital Investment.
The Cabinet also gave approval to the proposal of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs to constitute a Finance Management Cell comprising one Additional Director (Finance), one Joint Director (IT), which would be instrumental to monitor the accounts related to all procurement agencies on one hand and to ensure proper accounting of funds given to the agencies and the recoveries/payments made by them on the other. In view of allotment of Liquor Vends for the year 2016-17, the Cabinet also gave a green signal to make certain amendments for the issuance of L-1A License in pursuance with the directions of Punjab & Haryana High Court. Consequently, now any eligible person/firm could obtain L-1A License directly from the department, after fulfilling the necessary conditions. Conceding the demand of 1984 riot affected families, the Cabinet also gave approval to execute conveyance deed of the houses/booths allotted to them on allotment rates instead of collector rates. This step would certainly give a major reprieve to these riot affected families.
In a bid to attract huge investments in industry, trade and housing sector, the Punjab Cabinet today approved amendments in the earlier policy approved by the Council of Ministers in its meeting held on February 27, 2008.
The revised policy envisaged that in the Mega Housing Projects, if more area is added in the already approved Project then to complete development works in that additional area, Government on the basis of provision in the PAPRA, 1995 has decided to provide five years' time for its completion, thus, in case of up-gradation of category by the promoters of Super Mega Mixed Use Integrated Industrial Park Projects, he would be entitled for the incentives of upgraded category as well as five years' time (without penalty) for the completion of increased area from the date of supplementary agreement. Likewise, if promoter of any approved Super Mega Mixed Use Integrated Industrial Park Project has added area in the project but the category did not upgraded then he would be entitled for five years' time (without penalty) for the completion of increased area from the date of supplementary agreement, but the incentives would remain the same as of the existing category.The Cabinet also decided that the District Labour Court, District Consumer Forum and the office of District Social Welfare should be set up at Pathankot.