Jalandhar, January 6
Acknowledging the problems faced by the Punjabi diaspora will be better resolved with the cooperation of eminent NRIs, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today announced to constitute an 11-member advisory committee to aid and advise the government on the issues relating to their welfare.
Speaking at the concluding function of the two-day Punjabi NRI Sammelan here this evening, the CM said seven- eight members would be taken from amongst NRIs from countries having a fairly large population of Punjabis, while the remaining would be senior civil servants.
This committee will give suggestions and recommendations to the government to evolve a comprehensive mechanism for the quick disposal of pending property, matrimonial and other disputes.
Referring to the other measures announced by him in Chandigarh yesterday, Badal said the government had decided to set up NRI police stations in the six districts of Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Nawanshahr, Moga and Ludhiana for the quick disposal of cases involving NRIs.
He also announced the constitution of an empowered committee headed by the chief secretary, including secretaries of the departments concerned for fast clearance of NRI requests.
To deal with problems faced by NRIs at the airports, he said an NRI information-cum-facilitation centre would soon be operational at the international airport at Amritsar. An office of NRIs affairs would be opened at Jalandhar, he added.
Badal broadly outlined the vision of his government for overall development and prosperity of the Punjabis settled across the globe. He urged the NRIs to participate in the state government’s scheme for 75:25 matching grants for NRI investment in various development projects.
He impressed upon the guests to jointly set up NRI schools in the state, on equal cost sharing basis, to apprise the second and third generation progeny of NRIs who had been completely detached from our rich cultural heritage.
The CM emphasised the need to have regular interaction with NRIs. Badal said NRI sammelan be held twice a year
once in India and abroad. For this purpose four segments - America-Canada, Europe Australia and the Gulf - with the aim of taking the government to their doorsteps.
He also announced the setting up of high- powered committee headed by the DGP and respective SSPs to review cases of NRI declared offenders or absconders. The DIGs and SSPs of the ranges concerned would send their recommendations to the committee. About 1300 such cases would be processed in two months, he declared.
The Chief Minister also assured the NRIs they could file complaints from anywhere and it would be referred to the district concerned and the problems relating visa being faced by them would be taken up with the Centre.,
To a query on lifting the travel ban on Sikhs blacklisted after 1984, he said he could not do much in the matter but assured to take up the matter with the union home minister.
Inspite of the problems back home, he called upon the NRIs to come forward and play a pro-active role to bridge the communication gap between the state government and the Punjabis settled across the globe.
Since most queries were about property usurped by relatives and the land mafia, Badal assured them the cases of illegal possession of their properties would be dealt with according to the law.
He also released copies of special issues of Amritsar Times and World Sikh News published from the USA, which had been dedicated to the event.
Ms Neena Gill, EU MP from Brussels,Ujjal Dosanjh, a former Premier of British Columbia Canada, Dr Ruby Dhalla, M.P from Canada, Gurbax Singh Malhi, MP from Canada, minister Harinder Singh Takhar from Canada and Varinder Sharma, MP and former London were among those who posed queries to the CM.
Earlier, patron of the NRI Sabha, Surjit Singh Rakhra, said the event would prove to be a milestone in the history of the government- NRI relationship.
SAD working president Sukhbir Badal, MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, cooperation minister Capt Kanwaljit Singh, local government and industry minister Manoranjan Kalia, information minister Bikram Singh Majithia, former MP B. S. Bhunder and senior leaders and party workers of the SAD-BJP were present on the occasion.
