Punjab Cabinet clears jobs for 104 heirs of deceased farmers

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 26

The Punjab Cabinet on Thursday gave an ex-post facto approval for jobs to 104 legal heirs of farmers/farm labourers who have died during the ongoing agitation against the Centre’s “black” farm laws, with the Chief Minister directing the departments concerned to give any further relaxation needed to ensure that the next of kin of all such deceased protesters are provided with employment.

Also read: Farmers’ kin resolve unshaken, vow to resist contentious farm laws despite loss

The CM made it clear that he wanted family members of all Punjab farmers, who sacrificed their lives during the stir, accommodated in government jobs.

Rs 62.46-cr waiver for sc/obc loanees

• Approval to waiver of loans, up to Rs50,000 each, to the loaness of the Punjab Scheduled Castes Land Development and Finance Corporation (PSCFC) and Punjab Backward Classes Land Development and Finance Corporation (Backfinco). The decision would help 14,853 SC, handicapped BC, EWS and minority category loanees.
• The Mera Kaam, Mera Maan scheme okayed. It will facilitate unemployed youth in honing their skills and enhancing their employability in their chosen field through free short-term skill training.
• To enhance efficiency of the Rural Development and Panchayats Department, the Cabinet has decided to raise the minimum qualification for ‘gram sewaks’ from matric to graduation.

Earlier, the Cabinet had authorised the CM to make any further changes in rules while approving relaxations to candidates who were not covered under the Punjab Government policy dated November 21, 2002, relating to compassionate appointments. The policy is applicable to government employees and those persons who have died fighting for the security of the nation. The cases of the legal heirs of farmers/farm labourers who died during the farmers’ agitation were not covered by the policy, necessitating approval/relaxation.

Sportspersons to get employment

The Cabinet has approved amendment to rules for providing jobs to the state’s sportspersons who brought laurels in the Tokyo Olympics. The sportspersons displaying excellence in Olympics, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, as well as World Cup tournaments, will be recruited in various departments under the sports quota.

Ministers smell scam

FM Manpreet Badal said he suspected a scam in the disbursal of subsidy to buy equipment as part of the Rs800 cr agricultural loan. Minister Brahm Mohindra seconded it. The CM is learnt to have sought a report on the issue.

With the decision, kin of the deceased farmers/labourers, as recommended by the DC concerned, would be eligible for employment as a one-time measure. A committee had, on July 26, 2021, considered the cases of 104 persons and recommended employment to the eligible candidates. In this regard, a letter has been issued by the Revenue Department. In another decision to check stubble burning during the paddy season, Punjab has decided to permit certain categories of industries to install paddy straw-fired boilers to claim fiscal incentives.