Badal for strict implementation of new mining policy

Chandigarh, October 4, 2012: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today asked the Chief Secretary and his Principal Secretary to monitor the progress of paddy procurement across the state on the daily basis so that this gigantic task could be accomplished in a hassle free, quick and smooth manner.

Presiding over a meeting of the Divisional Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners here at Punjab Bhawan this morning, Badal constituted a three-member committee comprising Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister and Secretary Food and Civil Supplies to take stock of situation daily in consultation with deputy commissioners regarding the smooth procurement as well as prompt lifting of the paddy stocks from the Mandis to facilitate smooth procurement. 

He asked the Chief Secretary to be in constant touch with the Food and Civil Supplies Minister Mr. Adesh Partap Singh Kairon to update him about the progress of procurement process.  

The Chief Minister also asked the Chief Secretary to make deputy commissioners relatively free from the burden of other routine administrative works to enable them to solely focus on the procurement. 

The Chief Minister was apprised by the Secretary Food and Civil Supplies DS Grewal that the ongoing standoff by the staff of the state procurement agencies have been amicably resolved with the personal intervention of Kairon during a meeting held here today with their representatives, who assured to start the procurement operations in the mandis allotted to them from tomorrow. 

Referring to the shortage of jute bags, Grewal informed the Chief Minister that it would be soon sorted out as they had sufficient stock of jute bags for 100 lakh MT of paddy against the expected target of 135 lakh MT.   He assured the deputy commissioners the department was fully geared to ensure to make uniform supply of gunny bags in all the mandis across the state.  He also told the Chief Minister that Kairon would soon hold a separate meeting with the rice millers of the state for the storage of paddy in the state in which he would also discuss the smooth implementation of new paddy milling policy 2012-13 with all the major stake holders. 

It may be recalled that Kairon had already held a detailed meeting with the arhiyas yesterday seeking their whole hearted cooperation and support for the smooth procurement of paddy besides ensuring timely payment to the farmers of their produce.   

Badal also asked the Secretary, Food and Civil Supplies to depute a Deputy Director exclusively to handle the affairs of lifting and milling of paddy in Ferozepur till the procurement operations were over.  Apart from this the Chief Minister also asked the department of Food & Civil Supplies to set up 24X7 control room under the direct control and supervision of Additional Director to oversee the procurement operations on war footing in order to ensure prompt redressal of grievances from the procurement agencies as well as the farmers.  

Acceding to the demand of deputy commissioners, Badal also asked the heads of the state procurement agencies to regularly visit the mandis for on the spot assessment of procurement operations on one hand and to provide logistics support on the other. 

Showing concern over the apathetic attitude of FCI for not adhering to the allotted quota of paddy procurement from past several years, Badal said that he would soon take up this matter personally with the Union Government for seeking necessary directions to make FCI for strict compliance of  its allotted share of procurement. 

The Chief Minister categorically asked the deputy commissioners to further direct their additional deputy commissioners (development) to ensure timely submission of utilization certificates of the development grants from the DDPOs and BDPOs.  He also asked them to ensure strict compliance of electronic transfer system for the disbursements of various grants under social welfare schemes to the genuine beneficiaries in a transparent manner.  

He also asked the deputy commissioners to make optimum utilization of grants under MNREGA to ensure gainful employment to the local villagers. 

Meanwhile, the Financial Commissioner Rural Development and Panchayats informed the Chief Minister that the department would soon receive funds to the tune of Rs.70 crore from GoI which would further generate employment potential for the rural labour force thereby giving a fillip to the rural development. 

On the issue of mining, Badal directed the Chief Secretary to immediately resolve this issue to ensure smooth, regular supply of minor minerals including gravel and sand on affordable prices to people as per the guidelines formulated under the new mining policy duly approved by the Cabinet recently. 

The Chief Minister also impressed upon the deputy commissioners to play a pro-active role in eradicating the menace of Cancer and drug addiction from the state by motivating the general public for this social cause. 

Taking part in the deliberations, Principal Secretary Health and Family Welfare Vinni Mahajan said that the biggest ever door to door campaign to identify the patients inflicted with cancer which had already begun from October 2 in Faridkot and would be replicated in other parts of the state from December 1 with an objective to provide prompt treatment and care with the financial support from Chief Minister’s Cancer Relief Funds.  She further said the Health department in tandem with Jails department would soon launch a massive drug de-addiction campaign to wean away the inmates from the curse of drug addiction besides transforming their lives as ideal citizens of the society.

In a bid to check the revenue leakage and bring transparency, accountability and efficiency in the Revenue department, the Revenue and Information and Public Relations Minister Bikram Singh Majithia asked the deputy commissioners to be extra vigilant to plug the loopholes in the process of Revenue generation by making random checking in order to prevent malpractices at the cutting edge.   He asked the deputy commissioners to call up few sellers and buyers telephonically to ensure that there was no harassment in registration of sale deeds or sanctioning of mutations.   He also asked the commissioners and deputy commissioners to randomly check atleast 10 sales deeds every day to detect evasion of stamp duty being indulged by entering wrong code with a view to under value the property at the cost of state exchequer.  

Majithia also asked the deputy commissioners to ensure that the persons on the key posts including patwaris, registry clerks, official of weapon branch, readers should be frequently shuffled in order to bring transparency in the system thereby not allowing them to work at the same place for a long term.  

Majithia also asked the deputy commissioners to sanction all uncontested mutations within 15 days of the sale deed and the copy must be supplied to the concerned party by the registered post.  The Minister pointed out details of all sale deeds and mutation would be entered on a new website for monitoring evasion of stamp duty, delay in sanctioning of mutation and to reduce harassment to common man.  To prevent harassment to the NRIs during the registration of their marriages, Majithia directed the deputy commissioners/ADCs to call up the parties on phone to confirm whether they were satisfied with the services rendered by the district administration or not.    He also asked the deputy commissioners to ensure that the information boards highlighting all government levies and stamps duty rates, to be supplied by the revenue department should be installed at prominent places in district, tehsil and sub-tehsil level.

Appreciating to the path breaking measures taken by the revenue department to enhance the state revenue collection, the Chief Minister asked Majithia to launch a 15 days state-wide campaign for sanctioning uncontested mutations at all the district headquarters.    

Prominent amongst others who were present in the meeting included Cabinet Minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur, Chief Secretary Rakesh Singh, Financial Commissioner Revenue NS Kang, Principal Secretary Finance Satish Chandra, Financial Commissioner Rural Development and Panchayats Mandeep Singh Sandhu, Financial Commissioner Forests DS Bains and Principal Secretary to Chief Minister SK Sandhu besides several senior officers of the state government.