Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal today said that Punjab Government has evolved a comprehensive plan to make NRIs equal partner in the Industrial Progress of the state and the new Industrial Investment Policy, Real Estate Policy has kept a 10% quota of projects and plots for Punjabi Diaspora.
Accompanied by NRI Affairs Minister Mr. Bikram Singh Majithia, Mr. Badal reviewed the implementation of promises made to the NRIs in the two day NRI Sammellan held at Chandigarh and Jalandhar in January this year and said that he was satisfied that all departments of the Punjab Government have worked unitedly to fulfill most of the promises made to NRIs. Mr. Badal said that on the persisting demand of Punjabi Diaspora keen to invest in the state, the new Industrial Investment Policy being notified by the Government would have 10 percent quota in Industrial plots for them. Similarly, all new colonies of PUDA, GMADA and other Urban Development Agencies would also have 10 % quota in residential plots for NRIs.
Expressing concern over Fraudulent Marriages by NRIs, who leave behind innocent brides in lurch, Mr. Badal said that Punjab is the first state in the country that has made registration of marriages by NRIs mandatory and The Punjab Compulsory Registration of Marriages Act-2012 has been notified and district authorities have been instructed to ensure its total compliance. He said that to check their harassment the registration authority of marriages has been delegated to District Revenue Officers, Tehsildars, Naib Tehsildars, whosoever is available in the office.
Appreciating the historic decision of notifying The Punjab Human Smuggling Act, to check frauds by illegal travel agents, Mr Badal said that he has issued strict instructions to Punjab Police to launch a concerted drive against such agents, so that they could not destroy the life of innocent youth. Mr. Majithia informed the Deputy Chief Minister that Punjab Government has taken a path breaking decision, in which an NRI can get tenant evicted from multiple properties, multiple times. He said that earlier he was allowed only once for a single property. He informed that similar amendment was also been effected for Rural Properties also.
Meeting the long pending demands of NRIs to guard their properties in Punjab, Mr. Majithia informed the Deputy Chief Minister said that a Punjab Government Undertaking PESCO would supply professionally trained ex-servicemen guards for this purpose on a nominal payment. He said that NRIs on visit to Punjab can also seek deployment of PESCO guards for personal security.It was informed in the meeting that three more NRI Police Stations have been opened in NRI dominant districts including Amritsar taking the total of such police stations to 9. He said that instructions have already been issue to seek approval of DSP before registering any FIR against NRI to check bogus complaints.
The Home Department informed that Punjab and Haryana High Court has been requested to setup three Sub pisional Judicial Magistrate Courts at Moga, Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur and an Appellate Court at Jalandhar for civil and criminal cases of NRIs and requisite funds have been provided for the same. To involve NRIs with their motherland, the Department has chalked out a plan under which an NRI can donate a specific sum for School, College, Hospital of his/her village or district and that institution would be named on the name of their parents and grandparents. Mr. Badal asked the department to publicise this scheme in Foreign Media so that maximum NRIs could take benefit of this scheme. Mr. Majithia also informed that to check the harassment of NRIs, the authority to emboss Power of Attorneys has been delegated to District Authorities from Financial Commissioner Revenue. Underlining the need for launching a multimedia campaign in NRI Media, Mr. Badal said that the Punjab Government should launch sustained advertising campaigns to educate the NRIs about these decisions. Badal said that he would be laying the foundation stone of NRI Headquarter at SAS Nagar (Mohali) and NRI Bhawan in Jalandhar and asked Mr. Majithia to finalise the plan and site in consultation with PUDA.
Participating the meeting Mr. Majithia thanked Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister for ensuring expeditious implementation of all decisions and said that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal is writing to Union NRI Affairs Minister to allow cash card SIM to NRIs taking their passport as identity. He said that he thanked Deputy Chief Minister for assuring to take up with Cambridge University in which 50 Punjabi Students would be allowed Doctorate Education free of cost.
Prominent amongst those present in the meeting including, S.S. Channi, Principal Secretary NRI Affairs, Mr. Navreet Singh Kang, Financial Commissioner Revenue and Public Relations, Mr. Jagpal Singh Sandhu, Principal Secretary Local Government, Mr. Karan Avtar Singh, Principal Secretary Industry, Mrs. Vini Mahajan, Secretary Health, Mrs. Ravneet Kaur, Secretary Education, Mr. Vishwajit Khanna, Secretary Defence Service Welfare, Mr. B.S. Sudan, Secretary Home, Mr. Kahan Singh Pannu, Director General School Education and Mr. Manvesh Singh Sidhu, ACA PUDA and representatives from all the districts.