Chandigarh/Gurkirpa Bureau/ April/ 11 /2025
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Friday said that the historic decision of Punjab Cabinet led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to promulgate an Ordinance to provide adequate representation to members of SC community for contractual engagement as law officers in the state is aimed at realising dreams of Bharat Ratna Baba Sahib Dr BR Ambedkar- the Chief Architect of Indian constitution.
Interacting with the media persons, the Finance Minister said that since independence the Congress and other parties have exploited the weaker and underprivileged sections by not empowering them. However, he said that the Aam Aadmi Party has taken every step towards realising the dreams of national heroes like Baba Sahib Ambedkar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh. Harpal Singh Cheema said that today’s Cabinet decision is a reflective of it adding that he had vehemently opposed the move of then Congress government to bring The Punjab Law Officers Engagement Act 2017 as it didn’t do justice with weaker sections by depriving them of due representation.
The Finance Minister said that today Cabinet gave nod to promulgate an ordinance to amend Punjab Law Officers Engagement Act 2017. He said that this step is aimed to relax income criteria for contractual engagement of Law officers belonging to SC Community in the state by reducing the existing desired annual income slab by 50%. Harpal Singh Cheema said that the purpose of relaxation in income criteria is to provide adequate representation to members of SC community for contractual engagement as law officers in AG Office, Punjab.
Meanwhile, the Finance Minister said that in another significant decision, the Cabinet has also accorded its approval to One Time Relaxation (OTR) policy regarding Non Construction fee and outstanding allotment amount for allottees of Improvement Trusts of the state. He said that this decision will give a major relief to the allottees as the penal interest will be waived off. Likewise, Harpal Singh Cheema said that to maintain geographical and administrative contiguity, efficiency, cost optimisation and legislative synergy, the Cabinet also gave green signal for reorganisation and rationalisation of the existing blocks in the state.
The Finance Minister said that realignment of blocks is necessitated in order to ensure better administration of these blocks in the larger public interest. He further said that the Cabinet also gave consent to enhance retirement age of Doctors and Professors serving in Medical Colleges under Medical education and research department from existing 62 years to 65 years adding that this will help in imparting quality education in the Medical Colleges continuously thereby immensely benefitting the students in these colleges. Harpal Singh Cheema further said that the Cabinet also gave consent to hire the Specialists doctors retiring from the service to cope up with the shortage of doctors in government hospitals adding that these doctors will be hired annually on need based basis in the larger public interest.
