Friday 25 September 2015

Punjab to launch card for NRIs






SUKHBIR SINGH BADAL 



CHANDIGARH:  The Punjab government on Monday announced that it will soon launch an NRI card for Punjabis living abroad to identify them for official purposes and facilitate various services for them.

Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, accompanied by NRI Affairs Minister Bikram Singh Majithia and former union minister Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, on Monday asked the NRI affairs department to immediately work out the details for the NRI card and implement it at the earliest.

Badal said that Punjab has to involve NRIs in the process of development by assuring them total support of the state government and offering them legal support in their cases.

He said that all NRIs will be able to apply for this card on the website of the NRI department.

He said the card, besides giving an identity to the NRIs for official purposes, would assure quality medicare to them besides offering them attractive discounts on shopping in Punjab.

Badal also asked the Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA) to explore the possibilities of offering preference to NRIs in house allotment.

Majithia said that a comprehensive website and portal of the NRI affairs department has been finalised and would become operational next month. He said that the website would be multi-dimensional and NRIs would be able to register themselves on it. He said that even the NRI card would be issued on the website itself.

Badal said that a 24-hour NRI helpline should also be functional next month where NRIs would be able to register their complaints and get a time-bound response on action taken. 

He said that these steps would inculcate confidence amongst NRIs who feel insecure sitting in a foreign land about their land, property and investments in Punjab.

Thursday 24 September 2015

Punjab to construct one lakh houses for economically weaker sections:


Sukhbir Singh Badal

Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal interacting with Union Minister of Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation  Minister Venkaiah Naidu during conclave of Ministers  of Housing & Urban Development of states at New Delhi on Thursday.
New Delhi/ Chandigarh, July 3, 2014: Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today announced that the Punjab government would construct one lakh houses for economic weaker sections in the next three years and urged the centre that State specific schemes along with a special fund be created to ensure smooth delivery of this commitment.
Participating in the Housing for All conclave of State ministers of Housing and Urban Development held at the Vigyan Bhawan today, the Deputy CM, who also holds the Housing portfolio, said the Punjab government had made a social commitment to its people to construct one lakh houses for the weaker sections. He said the State had already created a land bank of 300 acres for this purpose and expected it to increase exponentially in the next one year.
Delivering his address on the occasion, Sukhbir Singh Badal said as part of a policy all developers in Punjab had to hand over 5 per cent of their gross area to the government for development of housing for the economically weaker sections. He said the State has already enacted a housing policy envisaging private partnership, so that the committed housing could be built in the stipulated time frame.
The Deputy CM also expounded on novel ideas at the conference which were met with all round applause and appreciation. He proposed that the centre could create a special fund in which excise revenue collected from sale of construction material could be deposited. He said this revenue could then be transferred to the States for subsidising housing for the weaker sections.
Another proposal put forward by Sukhbir Badal included exempting development authorities like GMADA and GLADA from payment of income tax. He said development authorities were contributing to urban development by creating much needed infrastructure as well as housing for the weaker sections and that income tax should not be levied on them.
Emphasising housing growth a parameter of health of economy, the Deputy CM also recommended that the centre consider reducing interest rates on affordable housing as inexpensive housing is the need of the hour. He said this single step would give an impetus to affordable housing projects in the entire country.
Taking up issues related to the States, Badal also suggested that the centre should come up with State specific schemes even in case of the housing sector as each State had its specific needs. He also urged for resumption of financing of all projects which had been taken up under the ambit of the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNURM) earlier but could not be completed. He said this was essential to complete the projects.
The conclave, which was presided over by Union Urban Development minister Venkaiah Naidu, was also attended by senior Punjab government officials including Housing Secretary Venu Prasad, Local Government Secretary Ashok Gupta, Principal Secretary to the Deputy CM – P S Aujla and Special Secretary Manvesh Singh Sidhu.

Three Projects worth Rs. 1174.94 Crore Launched Including National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) at Amritsar:


Sukhbir Singh Badal 

The National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) was launched from Amritsar in Punjab today for 12 cities in the country including the Holy city of Amritsar, the centre of Sikhism to be the first under this project. Government of India has sanctioned Rs. 69.31 crore as 100% grant for Amritsar city. Union Minister of Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information & Broadcasting Shri Arun Jaitley launched this Yojana at Amritsar in the presence of Union Ministers Mr. Venkaiah Naidu, Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, and Shri Vijay Sampla, and Chief Minister of Punjab Shri Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Shri Sukhbir Singh Badal. 

Foundation stone was also laid today, to make Amritsar-Bathinda-Ganganagar Highway Four Lane and for Hrike by Pass project which are worth Rs.1100 crore. Also, a Rehabilitation Centre, Amritsar - a project worth Rs.5.66 crore, was also inaugurated. 

Addressing the function, Shri Arun Jaitley, Union Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information & Broadcasting Minister said that cultural heritage of Amritsar and Punjab will be maintained and sustained further through the joint efforts of Union and Punjab Governments. In Punjab, SAD-BJP alliance is not only a political alliance but it is a social alliance which brought in peace, communal harmony and ushering in an age of Development in Punjab, he said. Shri Jaitley further said that the development of agriculture sector is a major concern for all of us and the Centre had already started irrigation projects worth Rs50000 crore. 

Union Minister of Urban Development, Shri Venkaiah Naidu in his address mentioned that, on the recommendation of State Government 16 cities of Punjab are being covered under AMRUT while three other cities will be developed as Smart cities. He further added that NDA government's objective is to promote inclusive urban development so that those living on the margins of urban areas also benefit adequately from urban development. 

Punjab govt approves Urban Haat for Amritsar


Sukhbir Singh Badal 


Presiding over a meeting held here, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal while reviewing the ongoing development projects in Amritsar said this one of its own kind of haat would house Amritsar's as well as Punjab's best eateries and handicrafts.The haat is expected to come up by July this year. He said the best such establishments would be invited for this purpose so they could run their ventures in the heart of holy city.Badal, according to an official release here today, asked the authorities to expedite the tendering and other procedures so that this prestigious project could be dedicated to the people of state.Reviewing the restoration of Town Hall, Badal said it should be recreated with its rich heritage ambiance along with construction of state-of-the-art Museum and Handicrafts exhibits.He said this project will be concluded at a cost of Rs 2 crore within stipulated time frame of one year.Badal said this place will be given traditional heritage look, which would also become an attraction for tourists.Taking stock of ongoing work of world class facade from Hall Gate to Golden Temple in Amritsar, Badal said this entire passage should be free from electric wires and there should be no wire in the open.Badal instructed that there should be 100 percent underground electrification.He also gave a deadline of July to complete this ongoing work.PTI SUN GJS .

Punjab government to concentrate on infrastructural development: Deputy             CM Sukhbir Singh Badal...! 

Punjab government on Tuesday said it will go ahead with its 'governance reforms' to bring all 149 citizen centric services to the people at their door steps by 2015 and focus on development of rural and urban infrastructure in the state."The government has already constituted a high powered committee under the chairmanship of state Chief Secretary to ensure timely implementation of governance reforms and provisioning of citizen centric services so that people could derive full benefit out of it," Punjab Deputy Chief Minster Sukhbir Singh Badal said while addressing the media in .He said Punjab has become the first ever state in the country to implement such services in the entire state. Referring to the rural and urban infrastructure development, he said the Punjab government has launched an action plan to improve the existing infrastructure in the state and was committed to provide basic amenities like better road connectivity, rural and urban drinking water system, street lights, sanitation, garbage disposal plants not only in urban areas but also in rural areas.He said that all the promises would be fulfilled during the next two years. The state has already become power surplus except for a coal supply snag which would be conquered at the earliest, he said.Referring to the SAD winning Talwandi Sabo assembly seat after 29 long years, he said that it was evident from the winning margin with Congress candidate of more than 45,000 votes that people have expressed their full confidence in the programmes and policies of the SAD-BJP combine under the able stewardship of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. Badal said at the same time the SAD has increased its vote share at Patiala assembly seat by 10 per cent on the whole vis-a-vis 2012 elections. "No incumbency factor was seen during the by-elections and SAD-BJP combine will surely win the Patiala assembly seat in the general elections of 2017," the Deputy Chief Minister claimed.Commenting on the defeat of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), he said political scenario has been crystal clear for the AAP that it has no base in Punjab. "AAP bubble has burst on its own very fast and has met the same fate as that of Manpreet Badal's Peoples Party of Punjab," he said.Badal reiterated that AAP and PPP have been non performers in the state, while speaking about the performance of Congress President Partap Singh Bajwa, he said, he has been rejected and isolated from the rank and file of the party cadres. Replying to a question on SAD-INLD relations in Haryana, the Deputy Chief Minister made it clear that it was a generation old political relation since former Deputy Prime Minister Choudhary Devi Lal which would remain intact in the years to come.BJP has also been briefed about these ties and at the same time SAD-BJP combine was also sharing a closest ever bonding, he said. He also announced that SAD would contest Ambala and Kallianwali assembly constituencies in Haryana.