Chandigarh, November 6
The Punjab Council of Ministers today constituted an empowered committee to monitor various development projects.
An official spokesman said here today that the committee would comprise the Chief Minister (Chairman), Finance Minister, Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary (Finance), Principal Secretary (Planning), the Minister concerned and the Administrative Secretary as its members.
The committee would review projects/programmes related to the Scheduled Castes and the weaker sections, rural drinking water supply and sanitation, civic amenities in the urban areas, infrastructure projects of irrigation and power roads, transport, urban and industrial infrastructure, delivery and quality of school education, healthcare and diversification of agriculture away from wheat-paddy rotation.
The Council also approved enhancing the limits of discretionary grants of the Chief Minister, Cabinet ministers, state ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries and fixed the same at Rs 1 crore, Rs 40 lakh, Rs 35 lakh and Rs 32 lakh, respectively, for 2002-03.
It was also decided to enhance the one-time cash awards for future winners of the gallantry awards from the existing Rs 1.5 lakh, Rs 1 lakh, Rs 50,000, Rs 1.25 lakh, Rs 75,000 and Rs 40,000 to Rs 25 lakh, Rs 15 lakh, Rs 10 lakh, Rs 25 lakh, Rs 15 lakh, Rs 10 lakh and Rs 5 lakh for Param Vir Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra, Vir Chakra, Ashok Chakra, Kirti Chakra, Shaurya Chakra and Sena Medal/Nau Sena Medal/Vayu Sena Medal (only if conferred for gallantry) respectively.
The council also approved a scheme for compassionate appointments-2002 on the lines of the policy of the Government of India. The most important feature of the policy is the introduction of a cap of 5 per cent on appointment on compassionate grounds and distribution of this 5 per cent quota among different candidates belonging to SC, BC, OBC, ex-servicemen and general categories.
The other salient features of this policy are removal of groups like dependent members of medically retired persons, employee declared surplus, physically challenged persons and persons who helped the civil administration in the
fight against terrorism, inclusion of definitions of ‘dependent family members’, ‘government servant’, ‘confirmed work-charge staff and service’, elaboration of the definition of authority competent to make compassionate appointments, redefining groups as Group ‘C’ and Group ‘D’ instead of class-III and class IV, extending the period for submission of applications in belated cases extending the period from 2 to 7 years for definition of missing persons, as per provision in the Indian Evidence Act and inclusion of an exemption clause.
It also approved the conversion of Institute of Mental Health, Amritsar, into a teaching institution, keeping in view an acute scarcity of trained mental health professionals not only in Punjab but also in all surrounding and neighbouring states.
The post-graduate courses in clinical psychology and psychiatric nursing existed only at two places in the country viz at the Central Institute of Psychiatry, Ranchi, and Ninhans, Bangalore. Almost all medical colleges in the state have post-graduate training programmes in psychiatry.
But the number of psychiatrists available in state were inadequate. In order to make up this scarcity of psychiatrists, clinical psychologists and psychiatric nurses, it was felt appropriate to convert Dr Vidya Sagar Institute of Mental Health, Amritsar, into a teaching institution.
