CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Cabinet on Wednesday launched a series of benefits for various demographics across the state. With the Lok Sabha elections looming large, the Cabinet seems to have taken a series of decisions to appease various sections of voters.
The government cleared the regularisation of the services of 5,178 teachers and 650 nurses in the state. It also enhanced the emoluments of veterinary pharmacists and safai sewaks (sanitation workers) and approved an affordable housing scheme for all government employees. The teachers have been protesting for several months demanding regularization and even threatening to launch a campaign against the government in the ensuing polls.
Of the 5,178 teachers, 5078 were recruited in the Master cadre and 100 as Classical & Vernacular (C & V) Teachers by the state’s education department in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Their services will be regularised from October 1, 2019 with full pay scale after their probation period is completed. These teachers are currently paid `7,500 per month and their salary would be now fixed at minimum of grade pay of `15,300 per month till the time they are given full scale.
The decision to regularise the services of 650 nurses of the Health Department also came about because they had been demanding it for some time. To ensure affordable housing for government employees, the cabinet also cleared the Improvement Trusts and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to allot land for Employees Cooperative Group Housing Societies (CGHS) at reserve prices.While the emoluments of service providers have been increased from Rs 8,000 to Rs 9,000 per month, those of Safai Sewaks have gone up from Rs 4,000 to Rs 4,500 per month with effect from July 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019. The state finance department has ordered release of 7 percent installment of Dearness Allowance.
fight for air
In order to check air, the Punjab cabinet on Wednesday approved a draft action plan for converting natural draft brick kilns to induced draft brick kilns with a rectangular shape and zigzag brick setting
There are around 2800 brick kilns are operating in Punjab, producing around 15-20 billion bricks per annum
Brick kilns have been given till September 30, 2019, to make the conversion