With the model code of conduct in place after the announcement of panchayat polls, Punjab Cabinet on Thursday decided to put off the long-pending matter of regularising as many 8,886 teachers under the Sarva Sikhsha Abhiyaan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Siksha Abhiyaan (RMSA), among others.
The mass regularisation of teachers was on top of the agenda of the cabinet meeting for Thursday, but it was deferred as the State Election Commission has, a day before, announced the scheduled of elections to zila parishads and panchayats for September 19.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet has approved the guidelines for involving corporate or industrial houses, NGOs, NRIs in the development and improvement of government school infrastructure across the state.
The meeting has approved comprehensive guidelines or instructions for investment of corporate social responsibility (CSR) or charity funds in the government schools of Punjab, to make them active partners in the development of the state.
Official spokesperson said that the policy has been framed to enable these entities to participate in improving the quality of infrastructure of government schools in the state in general, and in providing top quality free education to the students of these schools.
Focusing on collaborative efforts and community participation in the development of infrastructure in the schools, the policy aimed at improving equity and equality of education.
For the purpose, an institutional mechanism would be set up and School Development Committees would be constituted for each school. The committee would consist of all members of School Management Committees as per provision of Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act-2003, in addition to two members of corporate houses, industrial houses, NGOs, NRIs investing or donating in the schools.
The Committee has been mandated to monitor the working of schools, preparing and recommending development plans, and monitoring the utilization of grants received from corporate houses, industrial houses, NGOs and NRIs as CSR fund or charity.
As per the guidelines, these organizations can participate in construction of buildings, rooms, toilets and libraries in schools, besides purchasing books for school library, IT equipment for smart classrooms, computers, tablets or any other IT infrastructure with pre-loaded and latest software. Used and substandard equipment would not be recommended to be installed in the schools.
Donors can also contribute SCERT approved e-content or study material, along with sports equipment, material or maintenance of playgrounds in the schools. They can also contribute towards furniture, uniforms, books, other study material, stationary, science laboratory equipment, teaching learning material, water purifier, ROs, water coolers and other facility or item.
The Department of School Education will host details of schools requiring infrastructure on the website and corporate houses may choose to invest in single or multiple schools. A dedicated cell will be established in the office of Director General of School Education for the purpose.
The policy clarifies that no commercial activity by the donors will be allowed inside the school and deployment or supervision and control of teachers in the school would be the sole responsibility of School Education Department.
Appreciating the guidelines, the Chief Minister said that many corporate houses were evincing interest in investing in school infrastructure due to their emotional connect and this policy has been approved to provide an institutional framework to facilitate their investment.
PADDY CUSTOM MIllING POlICY APPROVED
To ensure seamless procurement of paddy from farmers and delivery of rice into the central pool from more than 3,710 mills operating in the state, Punjab Cabinet on Thursday gave its nod to the Punjab Custom Milling of Paddy Policy (Kharif 2018-19).
The scheme for Custom Milling of Kharif 2018-19 paddy would be followed by all the procuring agencies, that is PUNGRAIN, MARKFED, PUNSUP, Punjab State Warehousing Corporation (PSWC), Punjab Agro Foodgrains Corporation (PAFC), including Food Corporation of India and the Rice Millers or their legal heirs with the state Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs acting as the nodal department.
“The sole criterion for allotment of free paddy to mills during KMS 2018-19 would be the miller's performance in the previous year, that is during 2017-18, and an additional percentage-wise incentive would be provided to mills as per their date of delivery of rice against milling of custom milled paddy, including RO paddy in the previous year,” said the spokesperson of Chief Minister's Office.
Spokesperson said that the mills, which had completed their milling by January 31, 2018, would be eligible for additional 15 percent of free paddy. Those who had completed delivery of rice by February 28, 2018, would get an additional 10 percent of free paddy.
For the first time, mills with dryers and sortexes already installed in the premises would be eligible for five percent additional allocation of paddy on account of each separately, the spokesperson added.
The newly established rice mills shall be allocated 2500 MTs of paddy one tonne capacity with subsequent allocation of additional 500 MTs of paddy for every additional tonne of capacity, subject to maximum allocation of 4000 MTs.
The state was expected to procure 190 lakh MTs of paddy and the target was to complete the Custom Milling of Paddy, thereby delivering all due rice to Food Corporation of India, by March 31, 2019.
To strictly check allotment of government paddy to non-eligible parties for the first time ever, the millers would be mandatorily required to submit a certified credit report, along with complete Credit Information Bureau India limited (CIBIl) report for all their financial transactions from their bankers for the purpose.
The miller,, desirous of doing milling of government paddy, should have a CIBIl score not below 600 and CIBIl Micro, Medium and Small Enterprises Rank (CMR) should be six or lower. In addition, the miller would have to submit a bank guarantee equal to the value of five percent of acquisition cost of total paddy to be stored in mill premises.
The surplus paddy within a district or outside would be got shifted through the issue of Release Orders (ROs) under the Release Order Scheme, under which the miller would have to deposit non-refundable fee of Rs 25 per MT.
“The concerned Deputy Commissioner (DC) would be the chairman of the Committee and District Managers of all procurement agencies would be members. Shifting of surplus paddy outside a district would require the prior approval of the Director Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs,” said the spokesperson.
Under the milling schedule prescribed, millers would have to deliver 35 percent of their total rice due by December 31, 2018, and 60 percent of total rice due by January 31, 2019, 80 percent of total rice due by February 28, 2019, and total rice due by March 31, 2019.
For efficient and time-bound redressal of any dispute, a first-time provision of an Arbitral Panel of three arbitrators, with both the parties individually choosing one arbitrator and the two thus selected arbitrators selecting by consensus a third arbitrator, has been made in the policy. The Arbitration shall be conducted at Chandigarh under the provisions of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996.
