The Punjab government on Saturday said it has decided to go in for a constitutional amendment in order to give preferential treatment to the economically weaker sections in the matter of reservation in government jobs.
The decision in this regard was taken by the state cabinet-led by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh here.
The proposed amendment relates to insertion of Clauses 15 (6) and 16 (6) in the Constitution of India, vide the Constitution (One Hundred and Third Amendment) Act, 2019, as per a government release here.
Following the amendment, a 10 per cent reservation would be provided to the residents of Punjab belonging to EWS, who were not covered under the existing scheme of reservation for Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes, and whose families had gross annual income below Rs 8 lakh.
The reservation will be provided in direct recruitment to group - A, B, C and D posts in the departments, boards, corporations, local bodies of the state, it said.
Those persons whose family owns or possesses any of the assets five acres of agriculture land and above, residential flat of 1,000 square feet and above, residential plot of 100 square yards and above in notified municipalities and residential plot of 200 sq yards and above in areas other than the notified municipalities - will be excluded from being identified as EWS, irrespective of the family income, the release said.
The income and assets of the family would be required to be certified after verifying all relevant documents as may be specified by the government.
The cabinet also authorised the CM to approve framing, amendment and issue of any notification, as may be required, to give effect to this resolution.
In another decision, the Punjab council of ministers gave nod for Rs 10,000 pension per month for the bereaved family of Constable Kulwinder Singh, who was killed in CRPF Pulwama terror attack.
The chief minister had met the family of the constable at Anandpur Sahib village last month and promised all government support.
The pension will be given in lieu of the job to the next of kin of the constable, and will be in addition to the Rs 7 lakh ex-gratia and Rs 5 lakh cash in lieu of land which the family is entitled to.
To mark the commemoration of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the Punjab Cabinet approved upgradation of the historic towns of Batala, Kapurthala and Abohar as Municipal Corporations, thus fulfilling a long-pending demand of the residents of these border areas.
The move is aimed at sprucing up the existing infrastructure in the historic towns of Batala and Kapurthala as part of the 550th 'Parkash Purb' of the first Sikh Guru and strengthening the urban infrastructure in Abohar.
The decision would go a long way in ensuring the holistic development of these towns with best civic amenities, road connectivity and city transport services to the residents, thereby improving their quality of life, the official release said.
With this, the number of existing MC across the state has now gone up to 13.
The state cabinet also approved 'The Punjab Labour and Cartage Policy 2019-20' for labour work and cartage of food grains from mandis to the storage points at minimum rates through competitive tenders from various contractors.
The decision is aimed at bringing further operational efficiency and transparency in procurement of food grains.
A spokesperson said for the ensuing season, commencing from April 1, labour operations in godowns and cartage of food grains from mandis to various storage points, located up to eight km from such mandi, purchase centre(s), would be allowed through a competitive online tender process.
The cabinet also gave ex-post facto approval to entrusting the selection process of 75 posts of civil judge (junior division-cum-judicial magistrate) to the registrar general, Punjab and Haryana High Court, after taking them out from the purview of the Punjab Public Service Commission.
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