Farmers Commision Act

V.P. Prabhakar

The Punjab Cabinet has decided to enact the "Punjab State Farmers Commission Act-2017" to empower and safeguard the interests of the farming community, besides setting up a 'Punjab State Council for Agricultural Education' to promote agricultural education in the state.
The proposed Council will be set up by bringing an Ordinance - Punjab State Council for Agricultural Education Ordinance 2017 and would be aimed at promoting and coordinating agricultural education in various colleges and institutes in the state. It would be entrusted with the task of developing guidelines and regulating higher agricultural education in the state through grant of recognition to colleges/ institutions/departments that meet the norms and standards prescribed to run educational degree programmes in agriculture.
Once granted recognition, the recognized colleges/ institutions/ departments shall automatically follow the prescribed system of education in governance including infrastructure (class rooms, laboratories, equipment, instructional farms, etc.), procedure of admission, recruitment of staff, resident instruction, course curricula, pattern of examination.
In another decision, aimed at granting legal rights to farmers, the Cabinet gave the nod to the enactment of "Punjab State Farmers and Farm Labourers Commission Act- 2017" through an Ordinance.
A fivemember commission, with nominated Chairperson, Member Secretary, VC PAU, VC GADVASU and ACS (Development)/FCD, will have the powers to frame agriculture policy and other matters referred to by the government. The Commission will have a corpus fund of Rs. 25 crore. The Chairperson of the Commission will have status of a Cabinet Minister and the Member Secretary would be in the rank of Secretary to Government.

Lung Transplant

Jagat Ram The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, (PGIMER) Chandigarh has accomplished another major milestone in the complicated transplant surgery and become the first institute in this region to conduct the lung transplant by successfully performing its first lung transplant surgery on July11, 2017.
Commending his team for this leap forward in the transplant surgery, Prof. Jagat Ram, Director, PGIMER Chandigarh stated, "Despite cadaver donor organ transplants picking up at a consistent pace in different pockets in the country, lung transplants are still very uncommon. This is partly because the surgery is complex and technically demanding and also because there are not too many usable lungs. The recipients have to be selected very carefully for these procedures."

Metro rail project

After 11 years and 110 meetings brakes have been put on the precious metro rail projects in Chandigarh. This decision was taken by the Union Home Minister, Rajpal Singh, at the meeting of the Advisory Committee held in New Delhi on July 27, 2017.
The officers of the Ministry said that it was not possible to arrange 200 acroes of land and Rs. 14000 crore for this project. The initial cost of the project was Rs. 10,900 crore and the Punjab and Haryana Governments were reluctant to contribute their share for this.
The UT Administration had been working on this project since 2006 and it had so for spent on it Rs. 10 crore. A survey was conducted of this project. A special purpose vehicles was also constituted for the project.
M.P. Kirron Kher had objected to this proposal. She considered it was not feasible for tricity. She had suggested in the Advisory Council Meeting held in June that the administration should work on tram project.

Immovable properties

The Punjab Cabinet has decided to make it mandatory for all members of legislative assembly and parliament from Punjab to declare their immoveable properties on January 1 every year.
It has given approval to amend the Punjab Legislative Assembly (Salaries and allowances of members) Act 1942 to make it mandatory for all MLAs and MPs to declare their immovable properties immediately.
The Cabinet has approved in principle to lower/rationalise circle/collectorate rates, while reducing stamp duty on registration of property in urban areas, in order to give an impetus to the real estate in the state.
To boost the languishing real estate sector, the cabinet has given approval for reduction in stamp duty on the registration of property in the urban areas from 9 per cent to 6 per cent till March 31, 2016.
The Cabinet has also decided to remove the 3 per cent additional stamp duty chargeable as Social Security Fund for this period through an amendment.

"112" for emergencies

Parimal Rai The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has released Rs. 4.5 crore to the UT Administration to set up control room in the police headquarters for all emergencies.
Residents will now be able to dial "112" number to avail services of ambulance, fire wing and police. At present, one has to dial 100 for police, 101 for fire wing and 102 for ambulance. UT adviser Parimal Rai held a meeting on August 3, 2017 and directed officials to speed up the process of setting up the control room. Home Secretary Anurag Agggarwal said : " We have received a grant of Rs 4.5 crore and will set up a control room in police headquarters in Sector 9, Chandigarh.
He said that the administration would tie up with telecom companies for the services. The call would be received at the police control room. Police, if needed would direct the call to the department concerned.
After these three services (Ambulance, fire and police) the help lines for women, children, senior citizens and disaster management will be connected in the second phase.
The command centre team will be trained in the handling of emergency calls. The system will record both incoming and outgoing calls.

Verdict against Plan

The Supreme Court verdict in the case of Assam's parliamentary secretaries has put a question mark on the possibility of such a bill being passed in the Punjab Assembly in order to accommodate certain legislators.
The apex court has ruled that the state legislature lacks competence to create the post of parliamentary secretary and chief parliamentary secretary, while declaring the Assam Parliamentary Secretaries (Appointment, salaries, allowances and Miscellaneous Provision) Act, 2004, unconstitutional.
The Punjab Government was thinking of bringing such a bill in the assembly.

Poor management

The Punjan StateCoucil is a nodal agency for implementing the sports agenda of the state. However, its implementation lacked any perspective or annual work plan according to CAG report.
Since April 2012, the Department of Excise and Taxation (DET) made provision in the State Excise Policy for levy of anadditional license fee to be credited to a Dedicated Sports Fund (DSF) at the rate of Rs 5 to Rs 8 on the sale of per proof litre of Punjab Medium Liquor for the development of sports in the State.
A grant of Rs 4.51 crore was released (April2010) by GOI for upgradation of the Dashmesh Academy at Anandpur Sahib in district Roopnagar.Administrative approval for the project was accorded in October 2012 by the State Department of Cultural Affairs, Archaeology and Museum for Rs 5.75 crore.



		EDITOR'S MAIL MATTERS OF PUBLIC POLICY NIA ACTS LANDMARK VERDICT HISTORIC JUDGEMENT MODINAMA REALPOLITIK ECONOMIC SCENE FRANKLY SPEAKING JAYALALITHAA LEGACY JAYALALITHAA LEGACY CHANDIGARH DIARY AMERICAN DIARY MEDICAL ADVANCEMENT HITS & MISSES CRICKET DIARY BOOK BAZAAR BOOK BAZAAR SIGNS OF THE TIMES MISSING ROAD SENSE YOGA IN DAILY LIFE FILM-MAKING ART OF LIVING Issue:Sep' 2017 Subscribe Now	CHANDIGARH DIARY Farmers Commision Act V.P. Prabhakar The Punjab Cabinet has decided to enact the "Punjab State Farmers Commission Act-2017" to empower and safeguard the interests of the farming community, besides setting up a 'Punjab State Council for Agricultural Education' to promote agricultural education in the state. The proposed Council will be set up by bringing an Ordinance - Punjab State Council for Agricultural Education Ordinance 2017 and would be aimed at promoting and coordinating agricultural education in various colleges and institutes in the state. It would be entrusted with the task of developing guidelines and regulating higher agricultural education in the state through grant of recognition to colleges/ institutions/departments that meet the norms and standards prescribed to run educational degree programmes in agriculture. Once granted recognition, the recognized colleges/ institutions/ departments shall automatically follow the prescribed system of education in governance including infrastructure (class rooms, laboratories, equipment, instructional farms, etc.), procedure of admission, recruitment of staff, resident instruction, course curricula, pattern of examination. In another decision, aimed at granting legal rights to farmers, the Cabinet gave the nod to the enactment of "Punjab State Farmers and Farm Labourers Commission Act- 2017" through an Ordinance. A fivemember commission, with nominated Chairperson, Member Secretary, VC PAU, VC GADVASU and ACS (Development)/FCD, will have the powers to frame agriculture policy and other matters referred to by the government. The Commission will have a corpus fund of Rs. 25 crore. The Chairperson of the Commission will have status of a Cabinet Minister and the Member Secretary would be in the rank of Secretary to Government. Lung Transplant Jagat Ram The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, (PGIMER) Chandigarh has accomplished another major milestone in the complicated transplant surgery and become the first institute in this region to conduct the lung transplant by successfully performing its first lung transplant surgery on July11, 2017. Commending his team for this leap forward in the transplant surgery, Prof. Jagat Ram, Director, PGIMER Chandigarh stated, "Despite cadaver donor organ transplants picking up at a consistent pace in different pockets in the country, lung transplants are still very uncommon. This is partly because the surgery is complex and technically demanding and also because there are not too many usable lungs. The recipients have to be selected very carefully for these procedures." Metro rail project After 11 years and 110 meetings brakes have been put on the precious metro rail projects in Chandigarh. This decision was taken by the Union Home Minister, Rajpal Singh, at the meeting of the Advisory Committee held in New Delhi on July 27, 2017. The officers of the Ministry said that it was not possible to arrange 200 acroes of land and Rs. 14000 crore for this project. The initial cost of the project was Rs. 10,900 crore and the Punjab and Haryana Governments were reluctant to contribute their share for this. The UT Administration had been working on this project since 2006 and it had so for spent on it Rs. 10 crore. A survey was conducted of this project. A special purpose vehicles was also constituted for the project. M.P. Kirron Kher had objected to this proposal. She considered it was not feasible for tricity. She had suggested in the Advisory Council Meeting held in June that the administration should work on tram project. Immovable properties The Punjab Cabinet has decided to make it mandatory for all members of legislative assembly and parliament from Punjab to declare their immoveable properties on January 1 every year. It has given approval to amend the Punjab Legislative Assembly (Salaries and allowances of members) Act 1942 to make it mandatory for all MLAs and MPs to declare their immovable properties immediately. The Cabinet has approved in principle to lower/rationalise circle/collectorate rates, while reducing stamp duty on registration of property in urban areas, in order to give an impetus to the real estate in the state. To boost the languishing real estate sector, the cabinet has given approval for reduction in stamp duty on the registration of property in the urban areas from 9 per cent to 6 per cent till March 31, 2016. The Cabinet has also decided to remove the 3 per cent additional stamp duty chargeable as Social Security Fund for this period through an amendment. "112" for emergencies Parimal Rai The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has released Rs. 4.5 crore to the UT Administration to set up control room in the police headquarters for all emergencies. Residents will now be able to dial "112" number to avail services of ambulance, fire wing and police. At present, one has to dial 100 for police, 101 for fire wing and 102 for ambulance. UT adviser Parimal Rai held a meeting on August 3, 2017 and directed officials to speed up the process of setting up the control room. Home Secretary Anurag Agggarwal said : " We have received a grant of Rs 4.5 crore and will set up a control room in police headquarters in Sector 9, Chandigarh. He said that the administration would tie up with telecom companies for the services. The call would be received at the police control room. Police, if needed would direct the call to the department concerned. After these three services (Ambulance, fire and police) the help lines for women, children, senior citizens and disaster management will be connected in the second phase. The command centre team will be trained in the handling of emergency calls. The system will record both incoming and outgoing calls. Verdict against Plan The Supreme Court verdict in the case of Assam's parliamentary secretaries has put a question mark on the possibility of such a bill being passed in the Punjab Assembly in order to accommodate certain legislators. The apex court has ruled that the state legislature lacks competence to create the post of parliamentary secretary and chief parliamentary secretary, while declaring the Assam Parliamentary Secretaries (Appointment, salaries, allowances and Miscellaneous Provision) Act, 2004, unconstitutional. The Punjab Government was thinking of bringing such a bill in the assembly. Poor management The Punjan StateCoucil is a nodal agency for implementing the sports agenda of the state. However, its implementation lacked any perspective or annual work plan according to CAG report. Since April 2012, the Department of Excise and Taxation (DET) made provision in the State Excise Policy for levy of anadditional license fee to be credited to a Dedicated Sports Fund (DSF) at the rate of Rs 5 to Rs 8 on the sale of per proof litre of Punjab Medium Liquor for the development of sports in the State. A grant of Rs 4.51 crore was released (April2010) by GOI for upgradation of the Dashmesh Academy at Anandpur Sahib in district Roopnagar.Administrative approval for the project was accorded in October 2012 by the State Department of Cultural Affairs, Archaeology and Museum for Rs 5.75 crore.