M A I N   N E W S

PGI to be modernised
Cabinet clears Rs 122-cr project
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, July 11 — The Union Cabinet today approved a Rs 122-crore project to modernise medical facilities for the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, and introduce ayurvedic and unani medicines in seven states, including Himachal Pradesh, under the Reproductive and Child Health Programme.

Briefing correspondents the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr Pramod Mahajan, said the modernisation of medical facilities in the PGI intends to provide second phase of advanced centres for paediatrics, cardiac, eye, trauma and a bone marrow transplant centre. The projects are expected to be completed within three years by 2003, he added.

Mr Mahajan said the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) also decided to introduce ayurvedic medicines for promoting health of mothers and children in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and unani medicines in the cities of Delhi, Aligarh, Hyderabad and Lucknow. The Cabinet decided to procure drugs for Rs 70 crore in the Ninth Plan.

He said the Cabinet also decided to open a consulate at Munich, Germany.

The CCEA also enhanced insurance cover for fishermen under the National Scheme for Welfare of Fisherman raising compensation to Rs 50,000 from the earlier Rs 35,000 in case of death/permanent disability and Rs 25,000 from Rs 17,500 in case of partial disability. The scheme has an outlay of Rs 270 crore under Ninth Plan.

The Cabinet also cleared the formula for productivity linked bonus for civilian employees of defence production who are to get arrears of Rs 35 crore for the last financial year.

On the demands of public section employees on periodicity of wage revision, it was decided unionised employees will be given the option for either a 10-year periodicity of wage revision with cent per cent neutralisation of DA as set out in the guidelines issued on January 14 last year or a five-year periodicity on the basis of graded neutralisation as did exist previously between January 1992 and December 1996.

The Justice S. Mohan Committee in its report had recommended that pay revision for executives in the public sector should be after 10 years or co-terminus with the next pay revision which was accepted by the government.

Phase III of Lok Jumbish project for universalisation of elementary education in 13 districts of Rajasthan with the assistance of the DFID has been approved. The UK agency will provide half of the Rs 400 crore project with the Centre spending Rs 133 crore and the rest by Rajasthan.

The Cabinet also approved enhancement of the project cost in the ongoing World Bank assisted India Population Project from Rs 335 crore to Rs 414 crore. The project is being implemented from June 1994 in Assam, Karnataka and Rajasthan.

The CCEA approved expansion and modernisation of refining capacity of Chennai Petroleum Corporation from the present 6.5 million metric tonnes by 3 MMT at the cost of Rs 2,360 crore and also cleared continuation of watershed development project in shifting (Jhum) cultivation in north-eastern states at an estimated cost of Rs 75 crore.