Rs 52-cr loan waiver okayed

CHANDIGARH: Taking a cue from the demands raised by members of the Legislative Assembly during Thursday’s proceedings in the ongoing Budget session, the Cabinet, in its meeting, decided to waive loans of up to Rs 50,000 taken from the Punjab Scheduled Castes Land Development and Finance Corporation (PSCLDFC) and Punjab Backward Classes Land Development and Finance Corporation (PBCLDFC).

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 22

Taking a cue from the demands raised by members of the Legislative Assembly during Thursday’s proceedings in the ongoing Budget session, the Cabinet, in its meeting, decided to waive loans of up to Rs 50,000 taken from the Punjab Scheduled Castes Land Development and Finance Corporation (PSCLDFC) and Punjab Backward Classes Land Development and Finance Corporation (PBCLDFC).

This will result Rs 52 crore being waived for 15,890 beneficiaries, including defaulters, up to March 31, 2017. The decision comes after the Opposition benches cornered the Congress for failing to fulfil its poll promise.

SC panel members reduced

As a fiscal management measure, the Cabinet okayed the reduction in number of non-official members of the SC Commission from 10 to three, reversing a decision taken by the erstwhile SAD-BJP government a few months before the last Assembly elections.

The government has also decided that no person above the age of 70 years shall be eligible for appointment as Chairperson and non-official members. The Chairperson and non-officials members, once appointed, shall get a fixed term of three years. Medical Officers (Dental) will come in the ambit of medical professionals who will get their full salaries, including allowances, during the probation period also.

Panel report to be tabled

The Narang Commission report, along with the Action Taken Report (ATR), is all set to be tabled in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, with the state Cabinet giving its go-ahead on Thursday. The Council of Ministers, headed by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, approved the tabling of the report of the Commission of Inquiry headed by Justice JS Narang (retd) and the memorandum of the action taken thereon by the Department of Mines and Geology under the provision of Section 3 (4) of the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1952.

Budget estimates approved

The Cabinet okayed the presentation of the budget estimates of the Punjab Government for 2018-19 in pursuance of the provisions contained in the Clause (1) of Article 204 read with Article 206 of the Constitution of India.