Punjab Budget to be presented on March 5

Chandigarh, February 22

The Cabinet has given nod to convening of a Budget session from March 1-15. The Budget proposals for 2024-25 will be presented on March 5. This was decided in a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann here today.

Cabinet okays transfer policy amendment for ‘exempted’ teachers

As per the schedule, the Budget session will commence with the Governor’s address, followed by obituary references. On March 5, Budget estimates for 2024-25 will be presented before the House and on March 15, the House will be adjourned sine-die.

Recognising the immense contribution of Punjab Home Guard Jaspal Singh, who died in a clash at a gurdwara in Sultanpur Lodhi while maintaining law and order, the Cabinet has approved an ex gratia grant to the family of the martyr.

It also approved amendment in para 9 of the Teachers Transfer Policy-2019 for teachers falling in the exempted category. This stipulates that transfer requests of employees who are cancer patients or on dialysis (self, spouse or children), liver/kidney transplant, 40% and above disability, hepatitis-B and C, sickle cell anaemia/thalassemia (self or children), divorcees having differently-able children or intellectually disabled children, war widow/widow of martyr, where death of the spouse makes it necessary for the serving employee to relocate to another place immediately and having children below 18 years of age or teachers who are spouses of armed force personnel who have been posted in difficult areas will be submitted on a monthly basis on the portal. Orders in such cases shall be issued with the approval of the Education Minister.

The Cabinet also gave approval to the design wing of the Water Resources Department to provide design and consultancy services to private entities on lines of government-aided colleges and staff of engineering colleges/institutions. This will be subject to the condition that 40% of revenue generated by the design and consultancy services will be deposited in the treasury.

The Cabinet also gave consent to amend the The East Punjab War Awards Act-1948 by placing an amendment bill in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha to double the financial assistance from existing Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000. Currently there are 83 beneficiaries getting benefit of this scheme. In another decision, the Cabinet gave nod to finalise the service rules of group B and C employees in the Department of Defence Services Welfare after restructuring of the department.

In order to give boost to the medium and small-scale industries, the Cabinet also gave approval for setting up of a dedicated wing in the Department of Industries and Commerce, Punjab.