Punjab to provide affordable houses to lower middle group

The Punjab government today approved a housing policy with a view to providing affordable housing facility to lower middle income group.
Under the 'Affordable Housing Policy 2015', incentives in the form of reduced Change of Land Use (CLU), External Development Charges (EDC) and License Fee would be given to promoters undertaking construction of affordable houses for economically backward strata of society.
Maximum area under the affordable housing scheme would not exceed 10 per cent of total gross area and minimum area proposed was five acre contiguous and compact chunk of land.
All such projects would be necessarily required to be completed within five years from date of issue of licence to avail these benefits.

It would be mandatory on the part of promoter to provide the facility of one built up community hall not less than 3000 square feet for every five acre of land, besides one nursery school cum creche of not less than 3000 square feet in the prescribed area of the scheme.
A decision to this effect was taken here by the cabinet in meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, an official spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet also approved to accept the recommendations of Cabinet Sub Committee to form a uniform policy for creation of steel silos for storage of food grains in the state.

As per the recommendations of the sub-committee, the Food and Civil Supplies department would make all the decisions regarding construction of Silos, PUNGRAIN would be the nodal agency and the government land available with the Food and Civil Supplies department would be utilised for the construction of Silos.
In a bid to check illegal mining in the state, the Cabinet approved to amend Punjab Minor Mineral Rules 2013 for constituting District Mineral Foundation and State Mineral Foundation, the spokesman said.
Now it would be the responsibility of land owner to inform the District Mining officer of any illegal Mining taking place from his land.

The cabinet also accorded its concurrence to the Dedicated
Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) for raising funds to the tune of Rs 92.25 crore as state's share for constructing 17 railway over-bridges (ROBs)/ railway under-bridges (RUBs).
The loan would be repaid in installments over a period of 10 years along with interest, including three years moratorium on repayments, the spokesman said.
The cabinet also gave its nod to the draft of Punjab Bovine Breeding Act, 2016, which will regulate bovine breeding activities, including use of bovine breeding bulls for production of bovine semen, processing, storage, sale and distribution of bovine semen and artificial insemination.

The cabinet also approved to amend Punjab Dairy Development Board Act, 2002, in order to have five representatives from among milk producers instead of the earlier three on Board of Directors (BoD).
The cabinet also approved to establish satellite centre of PGIMER, Chandigarh at Ferozepur.
It also accorded approval to dispose of 1509 varieties of paddy, procured by various procurement agencies in the state during kharif season 2015-16, on the price based on all expenses inclusive of taxes through inviting tenders.
"If the Punjab state procurement agencies are unable to fetch the amount equivalent to their cost, in such cases, the state government would compensate them for the difference of price," the spokesman said.