Chandigarh, January 22
The Punjab Cabinet today accorded a formal approval to the Sukhbir Badal-Manoranjan Kalia Committee report, accepting most of the suggestions made by the committee on resource mobilisation. However, the Cabinet did not agree on enhancing the retirement age of government employees from 58 to 60. But an option to serve for one additional year was offered to all serving employees who were to retire by year-end. But it is only a one-time offer.
Except the decisions that require a change in rules, all recommendations of the committee will be implemented with immediate effect . Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal reportedly set the tone for the meeting by announcing that the committee had done a good job by suggesting ways to take the state out of the financial mess.
As a result, the report received an immediate approval, even before it was laid before the Cabinet. Later, Kalia read the report to his Cabinet colleagues stating that once implemented, the state would be able to generate over Rs 4,000 crore in revenue.
After approving the report, the Cabinet also passed a resolution placing on record its “full-throated admiration for the hard work done by the panel and for coming up with innovative and farsighted recommendations”. The resolution read that the report marked a new benchmark in the art and science of fiscal management and both Sukbir and Kalia deserved to be thanked.
The recommendations approved by the Cabinet would generate funds to strengthen the physical and social infrastructure in the state, besides creation of social security and welfare dedicated fund to include old-age and other pension schemes, atta-dal subsidy and Shagun scheme.
Likewise, social development corpus was also being created for education, health, access to public services, sanitation for the rural and urban poor and for providing potable drinking water. The meeting also approved to levy entry tax on lotteries, to grant exemption of institutional tax on educational institutions and hospitals and exemption from the increased carriage permit fee for the Punjab Roadways and PRTC buses.
Further, the Council of Ministers sought direct intervention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh through passing a unanimous resolution urging the Union Government not to extend the special industrial package being given to Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir beyond March 31, 2010, as it had resulted in flight of industry from Punjab.
