Cabinet gives nod to online allocation of paddy to millers
The Cabinet has approved the Punjab Custom Milling Policy 2024-25 for conversion of paddy procured by the state procurement agencies into custom milled rice and its delivery into the central pool.
A decision to this effect was taken by the Council of Ministers in a meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann today.
The Kharif Marketing Season, which started from October 1, 2024, would end on November 30, 2024, and the paddy procured would be stored at eligible rice mills. As per the provisions of “The Punjab Custom Milling Policy for Kharif 2024-25”, the rice mills would be linked with mandis online. The paddy would be allocated to rice millers under the RO scheme through an online portal. The millers need to deliver rice of paddy stored up to March 31, 2025 as per the agreement.
In another significant decision, the Cabinet gave nod to reduce the environmental clearance processing fee. The government has introduced seven slab-based fee structure for granting clearance. The processing fee for granting environmental clearance for industrial projects is Rs 10,000 for every Rs 1 crore of investment, which includes the cost of land, building, infrastructure and machinery.
The Cabinet gave its consent to Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project Phase II and Phase III at a projected cost of Rs 281 crore. This ambitious project would be carried out with the support and cooperation of the World Bank. Out of Rs 281 crore, Rs 196.7 crore would be availed as loan and around Rs 84.3 crore would be funded through budgetary support by the state government.
The Cabinet approved the Punjab Bhondedar, Butemar, Dohlidar, Insar, Miadi, Mukarraridar, Mundhimar, Panahi Qadeem, Saunjidar or Taraddadkar (Vesting of Proprietary Rights) Rules, 2023. The measure is part of agrarian reforms to empower tillers of such land, who belong mostly to the economically and socially weaker sections of the society.
The Cabinet accorded its consent for framing a policy for removal or regularisation of encroachments, if any, made on the public land by the government educational institutions, hospitals, dispensaries, police stations and others. The Department of Higher Education and Languages has also been given consent for filing 166 posts through outsourcing by PESCO for head offices, units and centres of NCC.
The Cabinet also approved the restructuring of the stenography cadre of the Police Department and revision of the educational qualifications of Craft Instructor in Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs).
