People in Punjab have a reason to cheer. Punjab Cabinet on Wednesday paved the way for opening of liquor vends in municipal area limits by taking them out of the highway rule. Besides, the Cabinet has also fixed limits of bringing of foreign liquor from other States into Punjab to check smuggling.
The Supreme Court, in its judgement of July 11, 2017, had initially banned the running of liquor vends along the highways. But, the apex court had subsequently made it clear that the ban on sale of liquor within 500 metres of the State and National Highways does not apply within municipal limits, granting relief to the liquor and hospitality industry.
In line with the same, Punjab Cabinet has approved an amendment to the Punjab Excise Act to allow licensed liquor vends in the limits of municipal areas to sell liquor even if they are located within a distance of 500 metres from the national or State highways.
Section 26-A of Punjab Excise Act, 1914, will be suitably amended to ensure that the condition of sale of liquor through licensed vends at a distance of 500 meters away from national or State highways does not apply to the licensed liquor vends within the limits of municipal area.
To check smuggling of liquor in the State, the Cabinet gave a go-ahead to a proposal for amendment of Sections 72, 78 and 81 of Punjab Excise Act, 1914. With this, bringing foreign liquor from other States into Punjab in a quantity exceeding 12 bottles of 750 millilitres capacity each will be a non-bailable offence.
In addition, vehicles carrying more than three cases of liquor shall also be confiscated.
The proposed amendment also entailed that during trial, the vehicle shall only be released against cash or bank guarantee equivalent to the value thereof.
PENDING INFRASTRUCTURE, SEZ PROJECTS TO BE IMPlEMENTED
Paving way for seamless implementation of various pending infrastructure and Special Economic Zone (SEZ) projects, the Punjab Cabinet on Wednesday gave its approval for amendment to Section 27 of the Punjab land Reforms Act, 1972. The Cabinet has also authorised the state Revenue Department to take further necessary action in consultation with the legal and legislative Affairs Department.
Notably, the State Government had, in 2011, exempted certain lands from the operation of Punjab land Reforms Act, 1972, vide amendment to Section 27 the Act, to prevent any adverse impact on infrastructure and SEZ projects approved in the past as well as projects that may be set up after approval under various State or Central laws.
However, statutory rules describing the procedure, fees, competent authority etc were not finalised, thus impeding the effective operationalisation of the amendment.
Wednesday’s decision taken by the Cabinet will now remove the roadblocks in the implementation of these projects.
NEW SCHEME TO ENSURE WElFARE BENEFITS REACH RURAl POOR
To ensure that the benefits of its various welfare programmes reach the rural poor, Punjab Government has decided to launch a new scheme — the Mahatma Gandhi Sarbat Vikas Yojna (MGSVY) — in line with the Antyodaya principles. Aimed at inclusive development and ensuring equitable access to benefits of all socio-economic development schemes to the most deserving, the scheme will be implemented in the State’s rural areas where it will identify the poor and distressed households which have been deprived of the benefits of the various welfare schemes.
FRESH BIll TO PROTECT DEPOSITORS’ INTERESTS IN FINANCIAl ESTABlISHMENTS
Concerned over the mushrooming growth of fraudulent financial establishments in the State in recent past, Punjab Cabinet has approved introduction of a “fresh” Bill in the Vidhan Sabha to protect the interests of depositors against default. At the same time, the Government withdraw the Punjab Protection of Interests of Depositors (in Financial Establishments) Bill, 2015, which was earlier sent to the Centre for obtaining the President’s assent and was pending with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
TO INVITE GlOBAl TENDERS TO SETUP WORlD-ClASS TECHNOlOGY UNIVERSITY AT MOHAlI
Aimed at creating nearly 2,400 direct jobs beside boosting the State’s GDP by Rs 6,500 crore, Punjab Cabinet has given the go-ahead for inviting global tenders to establish a world-class Technology University at SAS Nagar (Mohali). The proposed university, which will focus on skill development in IT or IT-enabled services, biotechnology and related biosciences, material sciences and nanotechnology, will help also push up tax revenues by Rs 600 crore. Based on the proposals received from the Foundation, an area of 50 acres earmarked for IT or ITES, etc may be allocated for setting up the university.
NOD TO ESTABlISH DISTRICT EMPlOYMENT BUREAUS
In a step towards implementing the Government’s ‘Ghar Ghar Rozgar’ scheme, the Cabinet has also given its assent for the establishment of District Bureaus of Employment and Enterprise in all districts of the state. These Bureaus will function as a platform to facilitate all kinds of employment opportunities for the youth, including overseas employment, skill training, self-employment, enterprise and entrepreneurship development, etc.