CABINET OKAYS FORMULATION OF ‘THE PUNJAB DISTRICT MINERAL FOUNDATION RULES, 2017’

CABINET OKAYS FORMULATION OF ‘THE PUNJAB DISTRICT MINERAL FOUNDATION RULES, 2017’

OKAYS EX-POST FACTO APPROVAL FOR ISSUANCE OF APPOINTMENT LETTERS TO 1337 TET QUALIFIED CANDIDATES

APPROVES ‘GUARDIANS OF GOVERNANCE’, GRANTS EXTENSION TO SERVICE PROVIDERS IN VET DEPT

Chandigarh, August 24:
The Punjab cabinet on Thursday took a series of important decisions, including formulation of the District Mineral Foundation Rules to ensure implementation of development programmes in the areas affected by mining in the state.
The cabinet also gave ex-post facto approval to issue appointment letters to 1337 candidates out of the existing merit list in the unemployed qualified Teacher Eligibility Test namely PSTET-2. De-reservation of posts in certain categories in the Department of Defence Welfare, approval to the Guardians of Governance scheme and extension, till June 30 next year, to service providers in the Veterinary Department are other key decisions taken by the cabinet meeting held here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh.

Giving details of the decisions, an spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said the approval to the formulation of the District Mineral Foundation Rules was in line with the Government of India directives and would also help check illegal mining in the state. Besides ensuring compliance with the conditions imposed in the Environment Clearance and Mining Plan, the Rules would enable the concerned department to take preventive measures to check illegal mining.
As per the rules, any unscientific operation in the terms of concession or approval to operate the quarry/mine by the Mineral Concession Holder would amount to violation of the grant. The rules would also ensure rehabilitation and restoration of the areas under lease, and help minimise the environmental impact of mining, said the spokesperson.

The objectives specified in the ‘Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana’ would also be implemented under the new Rules, which envisage supply of drinking water, healthcare facilities, education, welfare of women and children, welfare of aged and disabled people, skill development and alternate employment, besides launch of social welfare schemes, in areas affected by mining.
Under the ‘Guardian of Governance’ (GoG) scheme, aimed at ensuring efficient and effective implementation of government schemes at grass root level, a monitoring mechanism has been put in place to ensure its smooth functioning at village, cluster, tehsil and district level. The scheme would be launched in phased manner over a period of three years.

In another decision, the Cabinet decided to allot alternate land to six entrepreneurs located in rented old sheds of Rural Industrial Development Centre (RIDC) in Banur, as the land on which their units were located had been allotted to the Government of India for establishment of Footwear Design & Development Institute (FDDI).
The Cabinet also gave approval to hire the services of 16 more Information Technology Assistants on outsource basis for Administrative Secretaries/Secretaries to enable them to monitor, review and implement the e-Governance projects related to their concerned departments effectively.
The Cabinet also accorded approval to amend the Punjab Irrigation Department Canal Patwaris’ (Group-C) Service Rules, 2016 in Rule 5 (1), Appendix ‘B’, so as to provide promotion avenues to “work munshis’ in the department.
The Cabinet also approved the Annual Administrative Report of the Vigilance Bureau, Punjab, for the year 2016.