MOVE: Next session of Vidhan Sabha to give nod to Human Trafficking Act

Chandigarh, November 20, 2012: Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today asked DGP S.S. Saini and IG, NRI Gurpreet Deo to launch a sustained campaign against illegal travel agents duping innocent youths especially in the Doaba area.

In a meeting of NRI department held here today in which NRI Affairs Minister Bikram Singh Majithia raised the issue of rising number of cases of illegal travel agents duping the youth of Punjab and sending them abroad without any valid work permit, Badal said that it was the responsibility of law enforcing authorities to ensure that no agent without any license from appropriate authority and clearance from Protector of Immigrants should be allowed to operate. He asked the authorities to keep an eye on those agents who were issuing advertisements in vernacular newspapers without giving their complete address and launch a drive against them.

The Deputy Chief Minister agreeing with the suggestions of Majithia asked home department to present Human Trafficking Act in this ensuing session of Vidhan Sabha to give teeth to the law enforcement authorities against illegal agents.

Badal sought weekly report from every district SSP regarding this campaign against illegal agents and asked IG, NRI Affairs to personally monitor this campaign so that challans against them could be filed in the court timely by making the case water tight ensuring their conviction in the court.

Expressing concern over Punjabi youths who have been duped by travel agents and have been jailed in various countries, Badal asked NRI department to approach Union External Affairs Ministry to seek details of such youth from all embassies so that Punjab government could extend legal help to them.

Calling upon PUDA to put up a scheme for providing 10% reservation in all residential colonies to NRIs, Badal said that it should be got approved by PUDA in next meeting.

Prominent amongst those who were present in the meeting included Surjit Singh Rakhra, Rural Development and Panchayat Minister, Jathedar Tota Singh, Ex-Minister, Dr. Daljit Singh Cheema, Manpreet Singh Iyali, Gurpartap Singh Vadala, all MLAs, Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, ex-Union Minister, Advocate General Ashok Aggarwal, Justice (Retd.) Arvind Kumar, Chairman NRI Commission, S.S. Channi, Principal Secretary NRI Affairs, Suresh Kumar, Principal Secretary, Local Bodies, D.S. Bains, Home Secretary, Vinni Mahajan, Principal Secretary Health, Ravneet Kaur, Principal Secretary Education, B.S. Sudan, Secretary Home, Mrs. Gurpreet Deo, IG NRI Affairs, Anurag Verma, Divisional Commissioner Ropar, S.R. Ladhar, Divisional Commissioner Jalandhar, Priyank Bharti, DC Jalandhar, Alaknanda Dayal, DC Kapurthala, Manvesh Singh Sidhu, Chief Administrator PUDA, D.S. Mangat, Director Public Relations and Ajay Kumar Mahajan, Special Principal Secretary to Deputy Chief Minister.